Inclined to kill?
by Peanutbutternojelly741
Summary: Saniya,a notorious troublemaker within the Omacticaya, bites off more than she can chew when she finds a dying young man her age during one of her adventures. Please review. Irayo.
1. Chapter 1

Inclined to kill?

Chapter 1- Is She Loving The Crew?

He took in the details of everything around him as one does in his last minutes of life. The warriors of his clan had beaten him and drove him away the clan until he finally collapsed from exhaustion, excepting that his life on Pandora was concluded. He thought of his now deceased sister, who he was accused of murdering during a freak hunting accident. He watched the warm glow of the forest as he gazed down at his wounds. Deep gashes riddled his chest and they were bleeding profusely, signaling that he would be with Eywa soon. He noticed the beautiful oasis he had settled in and finally felt at peace until a twig snapped, sending him into warrior mode as he took he took his knife out and turning towards the sound. He figured it was the hunter that hated him enough to keep tracking him had followed him to this spot were the hunter would kill him. He watched the woods closely and even propped himself up against the trunk of a tree to see any threat that dare pass him.

"I know you're out there, Tee' tan! I know you want to kill me!" he snarled into the empty forest as a voice snapped back, "What clan are you from!"

He was taken aback by the sound of the voice; it was feminine and cautious, not bold and robust like Tee' tan's.

"I am Ateyo from the 'Angtsik clan. Who are you?" he called back, searching anxiously for the woman's position in case she attacked.

"I am Saniya of the Omacticaya. You're hurt. A Palalukan attack you?" she replied, her voice a little less hostile than before.

"My clan drove me out." He answered, a little sadness in his voice. Saniya finally jumped out of the tree she had been hiding in and squatted next to Ateyo, knowing he was no threat to her in any way for the most part. Saniya quietly analyzed Ateyo's wounds then asked him, "How long have you been running?"

"Almost three or four days" he answered. She grabbed her water sack and gave it to him as he guzzled it down before she stopped him and said, "Small sips. Too much will make you sick. Have you eaten?"

"No" he answered again. Saniya rose and found a fruit then cut it in small wedges before giving them to him one at a time.

"I don't like to be babied." He grumbled as he ate the fruit and sipped on the water.

"It will give you enough energy to get to a healer" she replied before throwing the core of the fruit away then helped Ateyo to his feet and helped him onto her Pa'li which was about thirty feet away grazing.

"Hold on" Saniya said as she took off on her Pa'li at a full gallop, making Ateyo struggle to stay on as Saniya chuckled to herself before she slowed down to a trot once they reached the outskirts of the Omacticayan Kelutral.

…(Saniya's POV)…

"Saniya!"

My ears went flat as I turned to see my mother walking towards me with frustrated written all over her face while she demanded, "Again you disappear in the woods without telling anyone where you're going, or when you'll be back. Your Father and I were worried sick about you! Do you know how dangerous it is to walk out there alone?"

"Yes Mother, I do know" I replied quietly. I hated when Mother deliberately decides to humiliate me in front of the entire clan, especially when the spotlight was already on me for Ateyo's unplanned arrival.

"I needed a break from the clan, Mother" I remarked as I stared at the ground to avoid her furious glare. I watched Ateyo walk out of the healer's hut, obviously looking for me but stopped when he saw my Mother giving me an earful and just gave me a smile as I finally said, "Mother I am sure the Tsahik and Olo'eyktan will want to question me about Ateyo so may I leave"

Mother pinned me for second with another piercing glare then finally said, "Go, but I'm not done with you"

She mumbled inaudibly to herself then walked away as Ateyo leisurely made his way over to me and said, "In trouble?"

"Left without telling anyone. That's all" I replied as JakeSully, our Olo'eyktan, greeted us warmly and asked, "Saniya, who is this young man you have brought here?"

"This is Ateyo from the 'Angtsik clan. He was driven out of his clan and he was hurt so I brought him here" I answered as Neytiri walked up behind Jake, probably already knowing the whereabouts of the conversation. She had ears like an ikran and had the stories to prove it as she asked, "Why were you driven out?"

All three of us looked at him as he seemed to falter but answered, "I-I was falsely accused of murdering my sister"

Neytiri's eyes went wide with alarm and fear as two warriors quickly surrounded him and I was pulled away by Jake while Ateyo said to me desperately, "It was a mistake! It was an accident that killed her! Not me! I promise!"

"Don't let him trick you" Jake said in a low voice in my ear but the look in Ateyo's eyes told me otherwise.

"Let him go" I spoke up. Neytiri's eyes darted dangerously at me as I repeated, "Let him go, please."

"No. If his clan banished him then why should we accept him?" she said tersely. I could find no words to say and couldn't match the hard stare from Neytiri as I admitted meekly, "I'm sorry, Neytiri, for going against your better judgment"

Her burning brown eyes didn't show any sign of forgiveness as she turned back to Ateyo and said, "You will never again show your face among the Omacticaya as long as you live"

The hurt in Ateyo's eyes could've made Eywa weep at the sight as the warriors drove him off into the woods, threatening to kill him when he hesitated and said softly to me, "You saved my life, Saniya. Irayo"

I didn't utter a word knowing I was in deep trouble with Neytiri and Mother. He waved and smiled sweetly before an arrow whizzing by his ear sent him packing deep in the woods. I sighed before immersing myself in a crowd of people to avoid Neytiri but her voice sent chills down my spine as she called, "Saniya, don't you dare try to sneak off"

I growled under my breath before reluctantly sulking over to Neytiri and Jake, their stern looks making me miniscule compared to them.

"He is a murderer, Saniya. He has no place anywhere" Neytiri said firmly. I didn't make eye contact as Neytiri lectured me on making the right decisions, leaving me no room to argue my point and scolding me when I tried to cut in. Mother was waiting when Neytiri was done giving her speech and I was given an earful from Mother and banned from leaving Kelutral unless instructed to. Father was already asleep and my sister was cuddled up beside him as I left to find rest in my own hammock, hoping I didn't find any more trouble trying to sleep.

… (Next morning) …

"Saniya. Come here we need to talk to you" Mother said as she walked out of her alcove and waved me over. I walked in to find her, Father, Jake, and Neytiri sitting in the room waiting for me. Something deep in my gut told me I was again in trouble as I acknowledged the ruling family before quietly taking my seat next to Mother.

"What is it you need to talk to me about?" I asked curiously.

"You know our son, Ralu. We have decided that he would be a great suitor for you and you both would rule the clan modestly and would act correctly when it comes to decisions" Neytiri answered. I swear I almost passed out. Me chosen for Ralu? Out of all the women my age I was the best suitor?

"D-Do my parents agree with your decision?" I asked again.

"We've been talking over the subject for many moons, Saniya" Mother answered gently.

"This is why we were so hard on you lately" Neytiri remarked with a slight smile, one I haven't seen since I passed Iknimaya. I heard my little sister's snickers from outside the alcove as I was dismissed and I ruffled her hair before I said, "Eavesdropping isn't a great habit, Leena"  
>She giggled as she ran alongside me, weaving her toy ikran threw the air and said, "I wasn't eavesdropping, I was just overhearing"<p>

I chuckled as she found her friends and went off towards the center hearth near the center of Kelutral. I followed them and kept watch while they made necklaces and bracelets while using me as their trail run, making me try on their crafts then putting them on themselves once they finally deemed it fit.

"Umm, Saniya?" Ralu's voice said hesitantly from behind me. I turned, still crouching on the ground as I looked up at him and said bashfully, "Hey, Ralu"

"Seems the children wanted to test their crafts on you" he joked as he crouched next to me, a little bit closer than I was used to. Leena ran up and took a couple of bracelets and a necklace off of me before looking at Ralu, then back at me, then running back to her circle of friends.

"I'm assuming she has heard of us by now" he said, his head dipping slightly.

"She overheard when they told me earlier" I replied, feeling my palms become clammy from my nervousness. A silence passed over us as the children came to either take their crafts back or put them on me.

"Would you like to take a walk in the woods? Or we can make it a hunting trip if you like?" Ralu asked, apprehension evident in his voice.

"I would love to, Ralu." I answered sweetly. I gave the children back their crafts then followed Ralu through Kelutral, passing the Ruling couple as we both acknowledged them, seeing Jake give his son silent words of encouragement as we left them and made our way into the hunting grounds for a little privacy (Which I felt we both needed).

…

"Ralu!"

Saniya's voice came in a quiet, teasing whisper as I looked around for her in the game she had started when we were arguing on who was the best tracker.

"I'm going to find you soon enough" I said as I listened for any unusual sounds but heard none. I climbed up a tree to see if I could get a better view but still nothing.

"Well I guess we know who wins" I chuckled as Saniya still hadn't appeared. I continued my search, starting to get worried since I called for her and there was still no answer. I jumped down from the tree and walked about fifty feet until she dropped out of nowhere, sending me falling back on my heels.

"Saniya! Don't surprise me like that!" I gasped as I tried to slow my racing heartbeat.

"I scared you, not surprised" She said, her smile spread wide across her face as she helped me to my feet. I gave her a deadpan look then sighed to my obvious loss.

"Well, I'm not done until I chase you down" I said as I saw a flash of playful fear go through her eyes before she took off into the woods, me not far behind. We ran through the woods, Saniya constantly trying to make me lose sight of her but I stayed to close to her as I reached out to grab her but missed when we both turned a tight corner to avoid running into a ditch but I pulled her to the ground soon after.

"Now I beat you in that competition" I panted as I tried to catch my breath.

"If you beat me you wouldn't be exhausted" she snapped playfully, poking my chest with a skeptical finger. I chuckled slightly before flicking her ear to get payback as her ears automatically flicked backwards as if swatting away pestering flies.

"How do you feel?" Saniya asked suddenly.

"Feel about what?" I asked back.

"Us" she answered hesitantly. I sighed and sat up before I replied, "Well, to be honest, I wasn't shocked when my parents chose you. I mean, you've got all the characteristics of a leader, more so than I do. You are a very good hunter and few would challenge you to a duel as a warrior. You know when to assert yourself and when to submit to a higher authority. And plus…I can't believe I'm saying this…I've always you were beautiful…and I am honored to have this chance to be with you"

I saw the joy flash through her eyes as I dared myself to gently caress her cheek with my thumb, and she didn't seem to mind. She even smiled a shy smile as I gathered my courage and kissed her. It was heavenly, in my opinion, but it didn't last long. Once I broke the kiss she didn't make eye contact with me as she said to me quickly, "Ralu, I need to go"

"If I went too far I'm sorry" I cut in as she started to get up and quickly leave. I couldn't keep up with her within the thick foliage, knowing it was a lost cause to keep following her and started my way back to Kelutral. If I couldn't find her while playing a childish game, then I definitely won't find her when she really wanted to hide. Her sudden leave had left me pondering whether our kiss was a setback or progress; I won't know until she speaks to me again.

…

"Saniya…you shouldn't have left him. He confessed his love for you and tried his best to show it" Key'lan, my best friend, scolded as I paced the ground in front of her.

"I wasn't ready for him to kiss me…it was just too much" I replied defensively, though I knew I was still in the wrong. I heard her sigh as I finally sat down next to her and tried to calm myself until I heard "Saniya, I need to talk to you"

I looked up to see Ralu, standing tall and seeming to try his hardest to keep his confidence up as I said, "What Ralu"

Key'lan automatically got the common sense to dismiss herself and leave just as Ralu said, "I'm sorry, so sorry, for anything I did to offend you or to make you angry towards me. I mean it from the bottom of my soul"

"I just wasn't ready, Ralu. It was just so sudden to me and I got overwhelmed, that's all" I replied slowly. Ralu's eyes pierced mine, trying to use the masculine "I need you" card but I refused to be minute to him and wanted to voice my opinion and feelings.

"Alright. Fine. I'll give you some space but I really want to try and make this work. I don't want to have a strained relationship with you." He said quietly. I nodded without a word, telling him I wanted to talk no more and soon he left with Key'lan awkwardly wandering nearby before coming back over then asked quietly, "Are you still courting or no?"

"I guess so. I didn't give him a definite answer" I answered. She gave me a deadpan stare before she said, "I just wasted precious seconds I could be sitting on my butt waiting for you and Ralu to make up and this is what I get in return?"

I chuckled to her humor before I crawled into my hammock and slowly drifted into a great sleep.

…

Tee' tan sat waiting in the woods for Ateyo to return; no clan would accept him for what he did, and everyone knew he wouldn't lie to anyone for anything. So there he waited, giddy with excitement to relish in the thought of bringing about the dreaded man's death. He had already received great thanks and honor from his Tsahik for trying his best to save his sister's life…he had her fooled. Even for a woman of her spiritual caliber, she was easy to fool but it took cunning instincts to keep it hidden though. 'Angtsik have long had tense relations with the Omacticaya, and with Tee' tan and Ateyo already competing for a woman, he saw the chance to finally bring war without ruining his flawless reputation. A rustle within the bushes snapped him out of his horrid thoughts as he remained still and kept his eye on the area where the sound originated.

"Why do you wish to ruin me, Tee' tan" Ateyo snarled as he appeared from the brush, knife drawn. Tee' tan cackled at this; Ateyo failed to realize that he was still thought to be guilty of his false deeds and his death will be a relief to those who suffered from Ahana's death and bring him further honor.

"Brother, you fail to see the big picture of what I'm trying to make. What happened with Ahana and you getting banished was only to create friction between us and the Omacticaya. All we need is a reason to raid them and get back the centuries of oppression they have given us" he said smartly. Ateyo's dark gaze didn't show any thought to his rivals' words as he took a few steps closer, noticing the nervous sweat upon his opponents' forehead.

"Ahana didn't have to die for your 'genius' plan" he growled. Tee' tan cackled nervously, seeing that he suave words weren't getting him anywhere and imminent death was upon him.

"Just think Ateyo…they find out you're alive and see how you've conquered the Omacticaya. Then crowds upon crowds of women will fawn over you for many seasons, brother. Even Sana will beg you to have her" he said as he backed away slowly and Ateyo advanced to kill him but faltered at the mention of Sana, the very woman him and Tee' tan were fighting over.

"Even Sana?" he echoed.

"You must go back, Ateyo. To finish the plan and win her as a mate. That is what you want, right?" Tee' tan urged further.

"Of course." Ateyo answered.

"Then you must. This is the only way you can earn your right within the clan. Now I will say you were held hostage by the Omacticaya, which will of course send Aiyana into blind rage and we will have our raid. Elsu will be happy to lead the raid while I will tell him to make Sana stay at Kelutral so she will not be hurt" Tee' tan ordered. Ateyo nodded, in hopes of having another chance at life again. Ateyo turned and started jogging through the brush until Tee' tan called, "Ateyo. Irayo"

Ateyo stopped and nodded then went back to his leisurely pace back to the Omacticaya.

End of Chapter

**An: To those who didn't understand how Ateyo decides to help Tee' tan:**

**Tee' tan knows Ateyo is coming back to kill him for Ahana's death so he tricks him into helping him by mentioning Sana, the woman both of them wanted as a mate. Ateyo has had his reputation ruined obviously, so helping Tee' tan is really the only way (in his mind) to be allowed back into the clan and able to see Sana once again. **

**Now that's been explained, this really was just a random idea I wrote in my notepad of my ipod and a lot of my friends really liked it so I decided to post it here but I've only written the first chapter and if you guys want to keep reading it then please review, if not I'll delete it. Oh! Also Elsu and Aiyana are the 'Angtsik clan leaders just to letcha know.**

**Review if you want to keep reading! Thanks **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- TBD

The suns warm rays tickled my cheek as I lazily opened my eyes to see Ralu lying next to me, already awake.

"You're a hard sleeper" Ralu remarked with a smirk.

"I'm tired from the hunt yesterday" I grumbled and buried my face in his chest to seek more sleep. His hand pulled me out of the little crevice I tried to snuggle in as he said, "We're gonna miss breakfast if we continue to be lazy"

I grunted in a reluctant agreement as I got up then saw Ralu still lying in my hammock almost asleep until I said, "Why aren't you coming with me?"

"I've already eaten breakfast" he answered with a prideful grin all over his face. I looked at him with dismay as he laughed himself into oblivion in the hammock before he regained the composure to say, "I was just trying to get you up"

I folded my arms, contemplating a way to get back at him until Leena came running up to me, the same sweet grin on her face as she said happily, "Saniya...psssst! Saniya come here"

She pulled me over a ways away from Ralu before she asked, "Did you and Ralu become mated? Is that why you are so tired?"

Pure shock was the only emotion I felt as I stared at her in disbelief to what she asked. I took a deep breath and said gently, "No. If I did. You would be the first to know"

She nodded before running back down the staircase as I returned to my place in front of Ralu who was now out of the hammock and looking at me as if I would explain to him Leena's behavior.

"Saniya, what was that all about?" he asked.

"She asked why I was so tired" I said flatly. He shrugged then pulled on my tail playfully and said, "Well, you missed breakfast so what do you feel like doing today?"

"A walk in the woods. I would like to show a place I always go to when I supposedly, by my mother's words, 'disappear'" I replied sweetly.

"Alright. Let me go grab my bow and I'll meet you in the clearing" he said quickly before running up the staircase to his top flat. I grabbed my bow then leisurely made my way down the staircase to see Leena walking with Mother to gather fruits in the opposite direction of where I would meet Ralu but I walked over and said, "Mother I am going with Ralu to show him the caves by the lake"

"How long will you be?" Mother asked as she turned around. I shrugged before I answered, "I don't know but I will try to be back by sunset"

"And if you're not?" Mother asked with a wink, assuming she was hinting to Ralu.

"Then I will explain it to you in the morning when I return" I answered with a sheepish grin. Mother nodded as she turned to catch with Leena who hadn't realized she had stopped to speak. Ralu was waiting in the clearing when I arrived, his smooth features brightening when I showed my face through the bushes.

"Well what are you going to show me" he asked with his usual happy smile as I began trekking through the woods, keeping close to him since we both knew he could not track me effectively.

"It's a place I always go to when I'm mad at my parents or something of that matter" I explained.

"No wonder you disappear for days sometimes" he replied. I chuckled then said, "It takes almost two hours to get there and I'm exhausted when I do finally reach the area so I sleep there"

He laughed as we kept walking, quickly getting to the halfway point, despite of all of our crazy games and antics along the way to keep us busy. I recalled the swamp-like area we were in and pulled Ralu over through a curtain of damp vines to the entrance of the cave, marked by deep cuts in the rock that I made during my rage on the way into the cave.

"Wow…this place is beautiful" Ralu breathed as we stood in front of the cave. I smiled as I beckoned him inside the dark, damp, and slightly creepy rock formation. I led him to the very edge of the cave, which is as far I as I dared to explore, and sat down in front of the bioluminescent light show being played on the cave roof above us.

"How does it do this?" Ralu asked. I pointed down the cave where it ended and a pool of water took residence there.

"The plants in the water light up on the wall and the movement of the water makes it move" I explained, laughing at the look of awe on his face as I laid on my back to watch the never ending spectacle in front of me.

"Have you ever gone swimming down there?" he asked. I shook my head as he helped me to my feet and pulled me over to the edge. He smiled at me before jumping head-first into the pool, disappearing for a second, and then rising up before splashing water all over me.

"Ralu! Uh! I can't believe you did that!" I squealed as I jumped back away from the edge. He reached out to me as I hesitated; weary of what was down there with him.

"Please?" he pleaded with a smirk. I placed my knife on the ground and jumped in, the cool water certainly waking my senses as I resurfaced.

"Feels good doesn't it?" Ralu said, grinning widely. I felt a blush creep onto my face as I replied, "It's refreshing"

He looked around underneath the edge we had jumped over and saw the place filled to the brim with water.

"This might be as far as we can explore" he stated excitedly as he swam further through the secondary water cave. I pulled his tail before I suggested, "Maybe we should stay here; you know, close to the surface"

He chuckled then teased, "I thought you had a thirst for adventure"

I batted him on the shoulder to the friendly jest then said, "I do, just on the surface. No one has ever been down here and who knows what could live here"

I pulled close to Ralu as the fear of my own words went to my head. He looked at me with a sigh before saying, "Do you want to get out"

The sad drawl in his voice made me sad as I said, "I want to get out. You can stay in but don't wander off or you'll get me in a butt-load of trouble"

His happy grin returned as he waded back over to the ledge and lifted me up until I was on solid ground then pulled himself up before we both huddled together to stay warm on the cold rock floor to watch the lights.

…

Only Ewya knows how long we stayed there, in that cave. While Saniya took her a nap, I wandered around the surrounding woods curiously. Caves and swamps were rare to find in regions like we lived in; only messengers have seen most natural wonders that few others will see in a lifetime. Saniya was lucky to find this cave and she definitely cherishes it as I will for many seasons to come.

"Its way past sunset" I chuckled to myself as I walked through the cave to where Saniya was awake and munching on some snack.

"Hi" she greeted pleasantly with a smile as I sat next to her. She took another bite of her snack before she looked at me and asked, "Are you going to answer me?"

"Yeah. Hey" I replied with a smirk. She giggled to my lame jokes then said, "You want to stay here for the night?"

"Definitely" I answered.

"Why answer so quickly?"

"I like it here; it soothes me. I'm glad we took this trip"

She smiled before leaning her head on my shoulder with a yawn.

"Tired? Even after a nap?" I asked. She batted my side with her tail as I chuckled heartily to my own humor. She stifled another yawn before cuddling up next to me and closing her eyes then whispered, "I truly enjoy being with you"

I looked at her droopy eyelids then asked, "Really? You think we could become lovers?"

She smiled before she answered, "We already are, Ralu"

Her chocolate-brown eyes slowly looked up and locked into mine as she smiled shyly before I said, "We should redo that kiss"

I didn't hesitate as I locked lips with her, feeling that same rush of adrenaline course through me as the space between us was about zero while I managed to find my way on top of her. I felt her hand on my chest as if she was about to push me away but it moved up until both her arms were around my neck securely and had no plans to let go. I finally finished assaulting her lips then went to placing scorching kisses down her neck and collarbone as she said with a smile, "Ralu we gotta stop"

I placed a kiss on her forehead before I said, "The look on your face told me otherwise"

She blushed as she made a 'whatever' type of face before getting up and asking, "Mind if I go get some air?"

"Go ahead" I replied as I started to find a comfortable place to rest for the night since it was extremely late and we needed to get up early so we wouldn't get in trouble with our parents when we returned.

"Ralu!"

It wasn't a whisper but an urgent yelp that sounded muffled with a rustle in the bushes after her cry. At first, I ignored it since she tried the same thing several times before on the way here but after a few seconds of thinking I came out of the cave where the bioluminescent forest and moon provided little light to see.

"Saniya! Don't play games with me! I'm ready to go to bed" I snapped irritably, walking through the woods without a care to stay quiet for nocturnal predators nearby. There was no answer as I came upon a sudden barren flat that ended about forty feet away down to a lower forest area. A loud roar of a Palalukan went through the forest before Saniya's voice came in a shrill of fear, "Nooooo!"

I whirled around to see her entire left shoulder and arm in the jaws of the beast while the rest of her limp body hung beside the animal. I scanned the ground for weapons and quickly picked up a rock then threw it to distract the creature as it let go of Saniya and came after me. I stumbled and took off into the woods, hearing the distinct thump of the beasts' footsteps as it bounded ever closer to me until another man dropped from the trees and said quickly, "Go back to the girl, I'll get the beast"

I nodded and sprinted back onto the barren cliff where Saniya was lying on the ground, grunting in pain while holding her right calf. I was surprised that her arm wasn't cut since it was in the animal's mouth but I ignored it and helped her to her feet and we began walking back home until the man came to us and said, "I hope you get well after your injuries. You are lucky the beast didn't maul you two"

"I guess Eywa was watching over us today" I replied with a chuckle.

"Come on, come with us. We could use your help" Saniya said as she used me to keep her upright since she couldn't remotely stand on her right leg and adjusted when the man let her put some of her weight on his shoulders before we continued back home.

…

"Why do you insist on almost getting yourself killed? This young man is right; you're lucky you didn't get mauled! Oh Ewya please help my child" Mother snapped at me as the healers wrapped my calf with medicine infused bandages while Jake and Neytiri sat in the corner with a slight smiles on their faces; not the stern looks I was used to.

"Daman, calm yourself. It was an accident that could've happened to anybody" Neytiri said softly to mother as Ralu whispered to me, "Does she always have this Scream-at-Saniya campaign every day?"

I busted into a fit of laughter before the healer scolded me for moving, though I still giggled until I was almost purple in the face. The man that helped kill the Palalukan stood alone in the corner beside me just as I asked, "What is your name, sir?"

I recognized his face immediately after asking the question and wanted to shrink into a corner somewhere for blurting it out without considering the consequences for him.

"It's Ateyo" he said flatly then stared at the others in horror as if they were going to beat him and shoo him off like they did before. Neytiri's face went through a series of emotions until her eyes went to me with hostility as she asked sharply, "Did you know it was the murderer?"

I shook my head quickly and said, "I had no idea"

Her eyes darted to him as she said darkly, "How dare you show yourself after I told you myself not to come here"

He didn't answer as he backed into the wall before I said, "He deserves a place here, Neytiri."

This time I didn't back down from her notorious burning brown eyes seeing through me as I matched the harsh glare.

"Give me a valid reason." She snarled.

"If it wasn't for him, Ralu would be dead" I replied. Ralu nodded when Neytiri looked at him for conformation of my words then said, "Fine he will stay. But he will have to pass Iknimaya like all Omacticaya have and will have to do and you will teach him"

I nodded as she left along with Jake before I whispered to Ralu, "You know you're gonna end up teaching him"

"I kind of figured." He muttered as I gave him a gentle kiss on his lips, just before Neytiri left the room so she could see then I munched on some herb the healer gave me to make the pain in my leg lessen.

...

"Tee' tan, our clan is very honored and blessed to have you as one of our strongest warriors. We applaud you for striking down upon those who have done wrong within our clan. May Ahana be at peace with Ateyo's wrongs to her." Aiyana said to the clan as Elsu presented me with his favorite knife, meaning ultimate respect from warrior to warrior within the 'Angtsik. The clan cheered happily as I felt myself rising to power, I just had to time Ateyo's hostage card right and the entire clan will be behind me. Sana has already admitted she still did want to be with Ateyo after what he did to his own sister. I hope the Omacticaya kill him, which will enrage us even more once I tell them.

"Thank you, Aiyana, for the gracious gifts but, I must inform you about Ateyo. Despite his wrongs, I worry for him since I last heard he had been captured by the Omacticaya and being held hostage there. Once again despite his horrible deeds, he is still our brother and I will keep an eye on him" I said slowly, sounding emotional for effect. Elsu's eyes burned with rage as he snapped, "I say we show those no good…-"

"Elsu!" Aiyana cut in sharply, even startling me with the harshness in her voice.

"You keep watching them and how they treat Ateyo. If they harm him, then we will raid them" she said with finality. I bowed to her and Elsu respectfully before taking my bow and going into the woods, hoping I would find Ateyo so I could kill him.

End of chapter

**AN: The water in the pot is starting to boil isn't it? Now, with Ateyo accepted, Ralu and Saniya on good terms, and Tee' tan getting what he wants, you may ask; "Where's the conflict?" but don't worry, my little readers, it's coming and coming with a quickness.**

**Thanks to Bigoldfrog for being the first and so far only review for this story.-_- but I'm still grateful for it. Third chapter will be up as soon as possible as usual, so have fun reading this I guess!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- Undercover Brother

"Hold still…Don't move Saniya or it'll hurt more…I said don't move!"

Those were the only harsh commands I heard as the healer rubbed a crushed herb on the deep cut in my calf from the palalukan attack. Ralu and Leena sat next to me as I cringed every time the healer so much as grazed the wound.

"How much longer" I asked as she dabbed the wound with more of the chunky green paste before she answered, "Let me wrap it then you'll be free to go"

"Finally" Ralu muttered before Leena smacked him on his hand while smothering a giggle.

"It's not my fault I got hurt" I retorted, aiming a knowing stare at Ralu who smirked back.

"Well you couldn't take the heat" he replied with a wink. I rolled my eyes then cut a glance at Leena, who was looking at both of us in confusion to the indirect statements about the intimate moment we had last night.

"You two love birds need to keep it rated G" Jake said as he peeped in from outside with a smirk on his face similar to Ralu's. Ralu laughed but I didn't understand whatever jest he had made towards us.

"Rated G?" I asked.

"He means keep it from being graphic" Ralu explained with a smile.

"Oh" I said softly before making a wide-eyed face to the fact Jake had an idea of what we were talking about making Ralu almost vomit from laughing so hard.

"Now I will redo the bandage every morning after breakfast until it heals, okay Saniya?" the healer instructed while helping me to my feet.

"Yes. I will not try to run from you next time" I answered with a guilty grin. The healer rolled her eyes before shooing all of us out with our childish acts.

"Well, I guess we go find Ateyo so we can start training" I said as Leena didn't hesitate to find her mother.

"You mean I can start training him" Ralu muttered. I shot him a cheesy smile before we walked towards a clearing in the woods where we had told Ateyo earlier to meet us there.

"What took you guys so long?" he snapped heatedly.

"I had to get my bandages rewrapped. That's all" I replied happily, hoping it would defuse his anger towards us.

"This is the last training session I will have before you two will take me to Iknimaya, right?" he asked as he seemed to wink towards me.

"Yes. I will guide you on foot and Saniya will oversee from the skies" Ralu cut in tersely. Ateyo snarled at Ralu, who hissed back before I said, "Guys chill out and let's get started. Ateyo we're gonna run through everything we taught you to make you're good to go on everything because Neytiri said the next group will go in two days"

The men nodded and Ralu gave me a whiny look before turning back to Ateyo then instructed him to practice using his bola on an ikran remake. I watched him swing his bola many times; making sure his technique was perfect, until I noticed something odd about it.

"Ateyo, let me see your bola" I said as I saw the sharpened end of the stone that would hold the ikran's mouth shut when wrapped around its jaws.

"What's wrong with it?" he asked.

"It's not supposed to be sharp" I answered bluntly. Ateyo looked at me confusingly then said, "It's supposed to stun the ikran, am I right?"

"Yes it is; but you're not-"

"Exactly my point" he snapped then snatched his bola out of my hand and went back to practicing. Ralu looked at me with his "I told you so" look then gave a heated growl towards Ateyo and muttered, "You better watch how you treat her in front of me"

Ateyo gave a look of disgust towards me then replied, "Eh, I have no interest in her"

I uttered a sharp hiss at him to show my dislike to his words then snapped, "Fix your bola, Ateyo, then we will resume training"

"You know what, Saniya. I'm this close to walking over there and permanently making you limp" Ateyo growled, "I don't take orders from Omacticaya"

I could see Ralu was ready to beat Ateyo into a bloody pulp if I didn't get him to shut up. He had confessed to me that he hated to see other men give me flirty looks and especially hated when they insulted me or anyone he had affection for. I guessed Ateyo sensed this and went on to say, "Worthless Blue Flutes"

Ralu shoved Ateyo to the ground and was beating him to oblivion before I could get up fast enough to pull him off of Ateyo and keep them separated. Ateyo laughed as he wiped blood from his nose while Ralu threatened to beat him again.

"I hope you die trying to tame your ikran!" Ralu shouted then stormed off through the woods. Ateyo smirked at the sight and said to me, "He just doesn't know what's coming to him"

"What's coming" I asked. He chuckled and walked off in the opposite direction and disappeared in the woods, leaving me alone and confused.

…

Ateyo walked through the woods, watching the trees for signs of Tee' tan so they could begin the final preparations for the now all-out attack on the Omacticaya.

"Ateyo, brother, it is great to see you" Tee' tan greeted from behind him. Ateyo turned and gave Tee' tan a brotherly hug then said, "I believe we are ready for the for final steps"

"Sana has agreed to cooperate in our effort also" Tee' tan said.

"What? What will be her part?" Ateyo asked, without as much worry as there should have been in his voice.

"She will be captured two days after you pass their rite then I will come for her and take someone to show their dead friends to" he answered. Ateyo chuckled then asked, "You killed the hunting party?"

"Of course. They were in our grounds anyways" Tee' tan replied.

"Well, I'm set to take the rite in two days. When Sana arrives and you come to get her; a woman named Saniya will be one of the leaders to speak to you, probably having a knife to Sana's throat. You take her to show the dead hunters. I'll try to kill her mate, the next heir, during the rite. During the attack the Tsahik and Olo'eyktan will be the primary targets" Ateyo advised, knowing how Tee' tan loved to burn his image into the minds of his victims.

"What will happen to the girl" he asked.

"I'll take her as mine. You can have Sana; I'm done with fighting over her"

"So be it. We will meet here again after your rite and make sure everything is in position. If this goes wrong, neither of us will have a place to call home"

…

Today was the day.

The day I would achieve my status as a teacher, prove Neytiri and Jake they chose wisely, and finally give Ateyo a home. Both me and Ralu were a little edgy, as anyone would be taking the stairway to heaven, but we were more anxious about Ateyo's behavior the past few days. Snapping at us, starting fights with Ralu, then disappearing for a few hours before returning with a more than happy smile on his face.

"Ralu. Remember what I told you in case anything goes bad. You hear?" Jake said firmly to his son, who nodded respectfully and mounted his Pa'li as Neytiri turned to me and said, "I've heard of the tense truce you and Ralu have with Ateyo. Do not be neglectful to him and treat him as if he was your brother. And help Ralu watch his temper since he has insisted on leading the group on the ground"

I nodded then ran up into the branches to call my ikran, Ramani, then quickly made tsaheylu before taking off and whistled down to Ralu to signal I was ready to go. Ramani was more excited than nervous compared to me since she would see some of her ikran kin once again as I let her soar through the sky freely while she let out a carefree screech as we advanced closer to Iknimaya.

"Saniya! Don't get too far ahead!" Ralu called, snapping both Ramani and I out of our happy place as I willed her down to just above the tree line in front of Ralu and his convoy. Ramani made her reluctance to stay low to the ground known by screeching loudly, making Ralu jump while coaxing a chuckle out of me.

"That ikran will rip my head off one day" Ralu remarked with his trademark smirk.

"So will a few others" I replied then cutting my eyes towards Ateyo with a wide grin. He rolled his eyes as he navigated the students through the woods before I called, "We're at the edge!"

The students dismounted their Pa'li to begin the official starting point of Iknimaya and circled around the edge as Ralu instructed firmly, "This is the start of the rite. You will either fail or pass the test. I will only guide you to the right areas and Saniya will catch anyone who falls and also watch for any outside threats. We will not interfere with you and your ikran unless imminent death is upon you. Do all of you understand?"

"Yes, karyu" they all said in unison with exception of Ateyo. The group started running across the long natural bridge that would exhaust them for the most part while I let Ramani enjoy herself and corkscrew around the bridge several times before leveling out to lose any dizziness I had acquired during my flight then heard an unusually loud, deeper screech than most ikran make from behind.

"Toruk! Saniya dive!" Ralu yelled as I saw the beasts' jaws came within an inch of Ramani's tail as we dived to gain speed. I weaved in and out of rock formations which were hopefully too small for the Toruk but I miscalculated as it quickly gained back the lead we once had on it. The Toruk clamped down again, this time not missing as it scraped my back, forcing a shrill of pain from me into the heavens.

"Ralu! Continue the rite! I can't shake him!" I shouted as I eagerly searched for a loophole since the Toruk was too fast in open skies and Ramani was reaching exhaustion. Ralu hesitantly nodded, since neither of us wanted to have a student die on our first rite as teachers, then hurried the students across the bridge as I willed Ramani towards the Toruk, taking a last hope of success. Ramani was flying at full speed, at the last second pulling up where the Toruk would be directly under me then drew my bow taunt as the animals open jaws was stuffed with an arrow straight down its throat.

"I'm sorry for killing you, great Toruk" I whispered as it fell to the depths of the earth. I turned to see most of the students watching with awe written all over their faces as I checked Ramani over for any wounds. A small scratch here and there but me, however, the gash in my back pulsed in pain in sync with my heart as I let Ramani follow the student group at a leisurely pace as long as I kept eyes on the skies and them.

The rite continued without incident until it was Ateyo's turn to claim his ikran. Ralu led him through to the nest like normal as I stood towards the edge so I could guide them away from it if the need became so.

"Prepare for your death, Ralu" Ateyo said.

"What?" I asked. Ateyo chuckled as he walked into the nest, swinging his bola which he never fixed; a calm silence over everyone except for the screeches of annoyed ikran moving from their basking spots as Ateyo progressed through the nest. Ralu didn't follow him like he did the others if their ikran was further inside the nest, being stubborn like his mother.

"Ralu, go" I snapped. He growled in reluctance before following behind Ateyo as an ikran hissed at him and refused to move from its spot.

"Remember what we taught you, Ateyo" I coached sternly. I crawled over rocks to remain near my student but far enough for safety as he intentionally flung his bola towards Ralu, nearly hitting him in the head, and leaped onto his ikran then bonded to it before making the first flight and going with the other students. The odd bonding rite was too easy for him; I'm sure he already bonded to it and just told it to stay there.

"Ateyo, you're coming with me" I said as I bonded with Ramani.

"Why?" Ateyo asked.

"You're in trouble" I replied. He followed me ahead of the students and Ralu while I kept my bow loaded with an arrow, watching him closely for any signs of hostility. I slowed Ramani as we reached Kelutral and snapped coldly, "Land in the clearing"

A snarl crossed Ateyo's face as he willed his ikran down to the clearing where of course people gathered in curiosity to what was going on.

"Saniya, what is wrong?" Ateyo asked but I said nothing as Ralu landed and stood in front of him.

"Ateyo has something against me, and I figure you should tell the Tsahik and Olo'eyktan" Ralu snapped. Ateyo looked back at me in a sort of disgusted but confused look then replied, "I strongly dislike you, but I hold nothing against you"

Ralu let out a frustrated grunt then left the area with me still holding my bow ready to fire if Ateyo tried anything stupid.

"Come on, Saniya, you won't believe him will you?" Ateyo asked with a slight smile but it faded when my cold stare didn't break when I said, "The past three days you have done nothing but insult me and Ralu, threaten our clan, and hurl insults that degraded any woman who was near you. Not only that, but you attempted to kill Ralu during to your rite"

The crowd gasped and murmured slightly to the truth that I was more than ready to unfold.

"That isn't true!" Ateyo snapped.

"I would never lie, Ateyo" I replied calmly, though Ateyo was clearly becoming flustered. Ralu returned with his parents, who exchange quizzical looks towards me holding my bow in such a defensive stance. A rustle in the bushes and a slight squeal caught everyone's attention as a scout shoved a young girl, about my age, into the circle.

"Sana? What are you doing here?" Ateyo said, shock all over his face. The woman looked up and hugged him tightly before she said, "I came to find you, and the clan misses you"

"They abandoned me" Ateyo replied with distaste. Sana leaned her forehead into the crook of his neck before saying, "I really want you to come back. I think I know who killed your sister"

"I know who killed my sister, but we have set aside our differences for a greater cause" Ateyo stated softly. Ralu growled in disgust, loud enough for them to hear then pushed Sana away from Ateyo with his bow.

"Seems you two know each other" he said coldly. Neytiri came forward and quietly told Ralu to fall back towards where I was standing.

"Well, what brought you here, Sana?" Neytiri asked kindly. Sana looked at Neytiri with conflicting emotions in her eyes until I saw Ateyo's arm tightened its grip on Sana before she hastily answered, "I came looking for Ateyo; Tee' tan said he was around here"

"Tee' tan?" Neytiri asked again.

""He is a friend of mine. He kept track of Ateyo once they banished him so he wouldn't wander into the wrong areas" Sana explained.

"He's in the wrong area alright" Ralu grumbled underneath his breath, earning a sharp reprimand from both me and Neytiri.

"You watch your mouth around Sana, Ralu" Ateyo said in a low warning voice. Ralu hissed back as Sana said something softly in his ear before he sighed and nodded.

"Sana, why don't me and you talk more in private" Neytiri said, a light air of happiness in her voice disguising some other feeling.

"Would you like me to come with you, Neytiri? In case she tries anything dangerous?" I asked with a caring but serious tone.

"You may but only to make sure neither of us are hurt; not to eavesdrop" she replied strictly. I dipped my head silently in agreement then stayed behind a few yards, out of earshot, as the two women walked through Kelutral and chatted with soft voices while most of the Omacticaya were in the clearing, probably waiting for Ralu and Ateyo to start fighting which almost a guarantee at this point. After a few minutes, Neytiri waved me over to an empty alcove where they had settled to speak about whatever. I squatted in front of them but kept my bow in my hands; I was very suspicious of this Sana.

"Saniya, my daughter, there is no need to be defensive. She is here to help us" Neytiri reassured with a smile. I hesitantly put my bow over my right shoulder and my arrow back in its quiver as I said, "Why would she help us?"

"Her friend has framed Ateyo and he has decided to destroy us to be allowed back in the clan. She has told us of this Tee' tan, who is the mastermind of the whole thing. I'm ordering you and Ralu to stay away from Ateyo at all times. If I see you with him both of you will be in big trouble" she explained.

"Yes, Neytiri" I said then rose to go back to Ralu; hopefully he wasn't beating the mess out of Ateyo.

"Ralu" I called as I walked through crowd to get to him where he was already in an argument with Ateyo before I pulled his tail to get his attention.

"Ow! What Saniya?" Ralu snapped irritably.

"We need to go" I said.

"But what about-"

"We need to go, please"

Ralu finally agreed then I led him up the staircase until we were around the area we slept for the nights.

"What is it?" he asked, still clearly irritated.

"Neytiri has ordered us to stay away from Ateyo" I replied.

"Why?"

"Sana is trying to help us and we don't want to comprised her"

"Why would she help?"

"Another guy, Tee' tan, killed Ateyo's sister and now he's got Ateyo doing the dirty work"

"Dirty work?"

"They're going to attack us"

"Ain't a surprise"

I shrugged as I took a seat against the walls of Kelutral, feeling the smooth wood cool my skin as I rested my feet. Ralu sighed before sitting next to me then said softly, "We haven't had time to ourselves since the Palalukan attack and Ateyo returning"

"Agreed. We need a break from them"

"I'll ask Father if he thinks it's safe enough to leave Kelutral"

"We don't need permission, Ralu. We're adults now"

"I know but still if what Sana says is true then we will be hot targets"

"Fine"

Ralu kissed my cheek, trying to brighten my mood as he said, "You know my mother has been nagging me about us becoming mated"

"What did you tell her?" I asked, feeling my cheeks start to blush slightly.

"I told her we haven't talked about it yet…so I thought it would be a good time to talk about it now" he replied. I gave him a hesitant look as he blushed a little then said, "Well I'm sure what she wants to know is when."

"After this attack thing is behind us" I replied.

"No"

"Why?"

"Who knows how bad this attack could be; one of us could be killed or hurt or have to deal with family deaths"

"I don't know if I'm ready"

"Well, mother will probably try to rush you for some reason that she foresees which might require us to be mated"

"I understand"

"You don't want to talk no more, do you?"

"No. I don't want my relationships to be rushed"

"Come on, Saniya, don't be like that. We might have to"

"Fine. I will come to you when I'm ready; not when Neytiri orders me to"

Ralu sighed then kissed my lips to coax me out of my bad mood I'd fell back into as his gentle but protective nature could never fail to bring a smile to my face.

"Do you always have to kiss me to apologize?" I said with a smile as I snuck in an additional kiss before he could answer.

"Well it works, doesn't it?" he replied. I answered him with another kiss, which Ralu wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. I slightly pushed back but he uttered a soft growl of persistence then went back to kissing my lips until I pulled back again then said, "Ralu come on stop"

He frowned as he let go before he said, "Please?"

"No; we're in public Ralu" I answered. He smiled shyly before he replied with a smirk, "Well I guess we'll find more time later"

We chatted casually until Neytiri came running up the staircase and commanded urgently, "Grab your weapons and escort Sana into the woods"

**An: Well final plans are being made, Sana is going behind Ateyo and Tee' tan's backs while Ralu has reached his breaking with Ateyo. So, what do you guys/girls think? Is it good, great, horrific, a disgrace to the writing culture? I only have one review so far and it's been the same person each time on both of my stories sooo…. I'm not complaining I'm just calling out all those 200 visitors this month which a good number have accounts on here. If you think something is wrong or good with my story, please review. It helps me and keeps me from thinking I'm not a good writer. Thanks to Bigoldfrog for being the ONLY reviewer and I appreciate him so much for taking the time to review.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4- They all will perish…

The entire clan was consumed in chaos as we searched for Sana but found nothing but Ateyo grinning widely as another man grabbed my arm firmly and said, "You're coming with me"

Ralu shoved the man off of me until Ateyo pulled Ralu back and held him there as the man wrapped his arm around my neck with his knife cold against my skin. The entire clan quieted as Neytiri screamed, "Don't kill her!"

"I'm not going to kill her; that is Ateyo's job" the man replied. I reached for my knife then tried to stick it into the man's shoulder; missing my target, and he didn't let go as he snarled angrily, "Don't try anything else or you will definitely end up dead"

I spat at him before he threw me to the ground then used his foot to choke me as he ordered, "Give me what I want and she will live"

I flailed my arms and legs' everywhere trying to escape but it was useless as he only put more pressure on my throat while his demand was still yet to be satisfied.

"You let go of her first" Ralu growled.

"Fine then; I'll just take her until you give me what I want" the man finally said as he took his foot off of my throat, making me gasp for air before he yanked me to my feet and held me by my queue.

"Tee' tan! Wait!" Sana shouted from next to Neytiri.

"What is it, Sana?" Tee' tan asked.

"She isn't the one" she replied.

"Her name is Saniya, am I right?" He snapped impatiently.

"Yes but she is not the one for what you're about to do"

"I'll take my chances"

Tee' tan used his bow to push me forward as Ralu shouted angrily, "I will kill you, Tee' tan! If it's the last thing I do!"

"Ralu just let him…I'll come back; dead or alive" I replied, hissing towards Tee' tan when he pushed me again.

"Go, Blue Flute" he spat.

The whole trip didn't take long, nor was it the worst part; the smell. A wretched, rotting smell hung thickly in the air as Tee' tan led me to some ditch in an abandoned Sky People camp.

"This a little by product of a game we just started playing" Tee' tan chuckled as he pointed to a mound of rotting and mutilated bodies stacked on top of each other in the ditch. I recognized some of the garb the bodies had on and realized they were Omacticaya. My first instinct was to vomit and sob at the sight, but my heart burned in a sudden fiery anger for Tee' tan and whatever his clan had done to my people.

"Notice something familiar?" he asked with a smirk. I lunged at him but he clearly foresaw my reaction and had my knife at my throat before I snapped, "You killed them"

"We kill anyone who walks into our territory" he shot back. He gave me my knife back then forced me up then said, "You're gonna need that knife where you're going"

Tee' tan and I walked for about an hour or so before I came upon a huge village. 'Angtsik were preparing for something as many started bowing to us and many priest-like men mumbled continuously in some other language I wasn't familiar with and rubbed blood all over my face. Others, which seemed like peasants due to their tattered wear, cut their own hands smeared their blood on my arms and legs. This went on and on until we reached the center where there was a huge stone ring which was almost 100 yards in diameter. Tee' tan pushed me to a group of women, who were also mumbling in the different language, poured buckets of blood onto me and smeared it anywhere where it hasn't already been. Once they deemed me officially covered in blood, they took me to an underground area where music was playing and there were dancers all over before Tee' tan showed me through a tunnel then I found myself inside the ring. Many 'Angtsik surrounded the ring as some wore masks that covered their faces and even the children had streaks of blood going across their foreheads. Finally the music ceased, and the crowd quieted to murmurs as a tall man walked into the ring, not covered in blood but had an elaborate fan-like crest on his head with complicated drawings on his chest with a normal loincloth. He circled me as if inspecting me; he made me flex my muscles, which earned some ohhs and ahhhs from the crowd, then asked if I had any children, which I answered no.

"This young woman is a fine recruit, Tee' tan" he said with an icy voice. Tee' tan didn't make eye contact and nodded quickly without a word. I noticed how everyone stayed away from me or never touched me with their hands unless they were smearing the blood on me.

"What is he talking about, Tee' tan" I asked. He didn't answer just walked back into the tunnel before the man announced, "This recruit will bravely fight, as all others do; but this one is special. She is our enemy, who has oppressed us for decades, but now her time has come and she will pay for her ghastly deeds!"

The crowd cheered as the man waited for them to calm down so he could speak then continued, "Her challenger today will be a major test of strength, stamina, and a will to live. She will have to use all of her techniques to defeat this foe. Now I bring you, Elsu!"

The crowd's cheers were deafening as Elsu come out of a separate tunnel, proudly taking in all the love that has been bestowed on him by his beloved kin. I took a very deep breath; I had to live and he must die at all costs. Elsu walked over to me and said, "Ready to die?"

"If I die you're going down with me" I spat.

"So be it" he chuckled then stepped back until a whistled sounded, signaling the start of the match. Elsu charged me almost immediately, which only required me to sidestep and take some steps back. I knew he was all brawns and no brains so I waited for him to charge again and this time I charged also, the last second I brought up my knife and heard his grunt of pain as I fell on top of him. I decapitated him and let his head roll to the side as I stood. The crowd was dead silent as I shouted, "What challenge is this! You filthy, disgusting, fools! Eywa will punish you for what you have done to yourselves and others! This is a disgrace!"

"You are the enemy! You have oppressed us for decades! We will not heed your orders!" the man shouted back.

"Fine. Then you all will perish" I replied in a softer tone. I suddenly noticed Key'lan, tied to a wooden pole driven into the ground, staring at me before I just snapped then faced the quiet crowd before I picked up the head and raised it above mine before I shouted grandly, "I bring you Elsu! My great challenger!"

Two warriors drew some weapons similar to a knife but much bigger and longer as they hissed at me. I quickly climbed over the stone wall then took off at a sprint towards the woods, knowing at least Tee' tan would follow and try to kill me.

"Ohh Eywa please protect me and Key'lan on this journey" I whispered softly before getting back on the trail Tee' tan and I walked only hours ago.

…

Chaos had calmed throughout Kelutral but the shock of Saniya's kidnapping left her mother, Daman, and her father, Fe'tu, in absolute shock; though few took notice of Key'lan's disappearance. Daman kept herself in her alcove while Fe'tu had no dramatic change but you could tell it affected him. Ralu had to be forced away from Ateyo after he beat him until Ateyo was a limp and motionless body but he was alive. Leena was numb; she didn't play with her friends nor did she associate with her parents. She wandered until she came upon Ralu sitting down, still furious with Ateyo as he greeted, "Hey Leena"

Leena said nothing, just stood in front of him with a blank stare before Ralu stood and said, "Well, I'm going to eat, would you like to come?"

Leena nodded quietly, the blank look on her face never changing as they both walked to the center hearth to eat whatever food has been prepared while Ralu asked just to make conversation, "Well, how's you and your family holding up after Saniya leaving? Are you doing okay?"

Leena shoved him onto the ground and shouted, "Why didn't you do something! Why didn't you save her! Sana's saying she's dead! That Tee' tan killed her! Why did you let her leave!"

Ralu scooted back on the ground as Leena stalked over him until Neytiri ran over to her and led her away to prevent from making an even bigger scene than she already made as she sobbed loudly as Neytiri led her back up to her parents' alcove. Ralu sighed as he dusted himself off and avoided everyone's eyes while he ate his meal.

…

Tee' tan stayed silent as his leader, the man who had inspected Saniya when she was here, yelled at him furiously for letting his favorite warrior be killed.

"I didn't know she was that strong; she was submissive when I captured her" he replied softly, fearing another shout to escape his leader's lips.

"Tee' tan, if you want true power and want become a leader like me, then you must beat all of your captives into submission; do not look for submissive ones, they are weak and will obey you anyways." He instructed sternly, Tee' tan making mental notes on everything he said so he would be picked as the next leader of this small, secluded village.

"Yes, Filt'naw" Tee' tan answered quietly. Filt'naw waved him off then turned to his village; they would reap revenge when the time came, even if it killed every last one of them; Filt'naw would be sure of that. His father was human and his mother Na'vi; his father was a radical thinker and had developed a thorough vision of what the past had been for the humans and once he came here, his thoughts were like wildfire. Though most clans didn't buy the new way of thinking, they were some who converted and came to live with him in this village (which was almost all of the 'Angtsik clan). And they thrived, keeping peace with other clans while still staying with their bloody but necessary traditions as rites and rituals for their gods. His mother, formerly a high ranked huntress, converted and was one of the first to have helped in the effort to build a village for everyone and it must have caught his father's interest, soon after the establishment of their small, young clan the two became mated and gave birth to one son, who rules over them now and has yet to find a mate.

"Filt'naw, you have done a marvelous job since you have taken power" Mil'an, Filt'naw's mother, said as she gazed upon her son with pride flowing through her like the power of the gods. Emannuel, Mil'an's mate and father to Filt'naw, rested a strong hand on his son's shoulder and said, "You're mother is right. You have pleased the gods with the ritual no matter what the turnout was with the sacrifice. You knew she was a fighter"

Filt'naw chuckled slightly then replied, "She was beautiful also"

"Well, so is her friend. Maybe if she is wise enough to surrender once we go with Ateyo and Tee' tan to rid them of their presence; maybe you will get the honor to choose between them" Emannuel replied with a cocky smile as he looked over to the Omacticaya woman being held under guard by two of his best warriors. The woman met his gaze with a wrathful stare and hissed at anyone who so much as spoke to her.

"I think I should talk to her" Filt'naw said, seeming to read his father's mind.

"Yes. Now go down there and make her submit, but don't hurt her; no physical pain should be afflicted on her. You understand?" his father instructed. Filt'naw bowed his head slowly with understanding then went to Key'lan with a confident swagger in his walk while she looked down at him with distaste.

"What do you want?" she snapped. Filt'naw ignored the snippy attitude she had and answered, "I want to introduce myself; that's all"

She didn't answer as Filt'naw couldn't help but let yet another cocky grin sprout across his lips as he said, "You know many hope you will convert since, you are a marveled beauty here already"

"I would never turn my back on Eywa" Key'lan spat angrily.

"That is what my mother thought but look at her now, the gods have led her to a prosperous and growing empire; if you convert, I will guarantee a high status within this clan" Filt'naw said smoothly, trying hard to persuade her.

"Nothing. And I mean Nothing, with deter me from Eywa" she answered calmly. Filt'naw sighed, she couldn't understand the multitude of benefits she would receive if she simply converted and became a child of the gods.

"Fine then. When judgment day comes for all of us, you and your people will be deemed sinful" Filt'naw stated with finality. Key'lan said nothing and waited for her captor to leave before she would let her guard down slightly and thought about Saniya. The two warriors went after her and have yet to return, so that says she is still alive at least or it meant the warriors were dead. Key'lan worried about her since she was probably exhausted and with the warriors after her, she would have no time to stop.

"Oh, Eywa, protect Saniya and give her the strength to make it back home and warn the others of the horror that exists here" Key'lan whispered just as her whispers caught Filt'naw's ears.

"What did you say?" he snapped, turning sharply then grabbing Key'lan firmly by the arm.

"Nothing! I swear!" she whimpered, hiding her face behind her arms that were held up by Filt'naw.

"You liar. Tell me, or I will kill you" Filt'naw said sharply.

"I was praying to Eywa" she answered with small whines of fear escaping her lips as Filt'naw looked to Emannuel to answer.

"You will pray to no one but the gods and goddesses here. If you continue to refuse, then you will be killed. Do you understand?" Emannuel said sternly. Key'lan nodded with quickness then quietly cried and sunk to the ground as Filt'naw roughly let her go before he went to go find something to occupy his boredom.

…

Saniya didn't stop for anything as the warriors were not far behind while she struggled to keep running due to extreme exhaustion after running for almost a day and a half now. She could hear the heavy breathing of the two warriors as they kept pace and slowly were gaining ground on a weary Saniya who struggled just to stand up straight.

"Eywa I can go no farther" Saniya whispered then collapsed helplessly on the ground as the warriors came upon her. She lay on the ground, not bothering to grab her knife for defense and said, "You come to kill me?"

The warriors looked at each other and answered, "No. We wanted to see how far you would run, but now, we will let you die slowly"

They chuckled as they dragged her over to a tree and tied her to it before one took his knife and was about to cut across her stomach but the other warrior stopped him and said, "We don't need to do anything. The blood on her will attract animals"

The warrior with the knife chuckled darkly then sheathed his knife and replied, "I assume we should head back; I'm sure they are worried about us"

Saniya was quiet as she watched them leave, their soft footsteps fading before being replaced by the natural sounds of the forest. She slowly calmed her breathing, then decided to gain some rest before she did anything while she got as comfortable as possible then closed her eyes and let her exhaustion and tiredness take over and let her sleep.

…

Ralu crouched in the trees, thinking hard on where Saniya could be. He could go to the 'Angtsik and most likely be killed if he didn't find her there. Other than that, he would have to use Sana or Ateyo to lead him to wherever she was, if they knew. Ralu snapped the twig in his hands in frustration and grumbled, "Unless she can find her way back home she's as good as dead"

A figured moved between the branches of the trees, catching Ralu's eye. He pulled his bow taunt and aimed for the shoulder so he would see the figures face before he finished the kill. A feminine squeal resulted when Ralu let his arrow fly, the woman falling onto the ground with a hard thud. Ralu jumped down then ran over to the woman who was tossing and turning on the ground in pain.

"Who are you!" she snapped angrily, but Ralu froze in his tracks. It was Saniya he had shot.

"I'm Ralu" he said softly. Saniya suddenly calmed then said, "I am not Saniya. I thought it would be easier for you to accept if I used her form"

"W-What do you mean?" Ralu asked confusingly. The arrow in the woman's shoulder disappeared and she stood then answered, "I am Eywa"

Ralu gasped then quickly fell onto one knee, feeling horrible guilt for treating her so rudely.

"You don't have to apologize, Ralu" she stated in voice that soothed Ralu's guilt in an instant.

"I have come to you with an important message and I came to tell you where Saniya is being held" Eywa continued, Ralu keeping his mouth shut for this rare and very honorable occurrence frighten him but also made him feel worthy.

"What is it that you want me to know" Ralu said calmly, maintaining a respectful gait while remaining submissive so he wouldn't cause Eywa's wrath towards him in anyway.

"Saniya has been tied up and left to die in the woods, she is needed to defeat Tee' tan and I have brought Sylwannin to lead you to her" Eywa said just as Sylwannin appeared out of nowhere beside Eywa. Ralu couldn't believe what he was seeing with his own eyes. Sylwannin? He's only heard stories of her told by Neytiri! He struggled to keep from completely losing his mind and managed to say, "Is there anything else?"

"The warriors you will fight are savages. They are no children of mine. Saniya has witnessed what they do to each other and the condition you will find her in might frighten you. You and Saniya will be given certain gifts to go against this beasts and Sylwannin will be on this planet only for the battle and to help you two. The 'Angtsik are bringing more than just themselves" Eywa warned before disappearing in a flurry of Atokirina.

"Ralu. Let's go find Saniya" Sylwannin said promptly then took off through the woods with Ralu not far behind.

**AN: Well, 'Angtsik are more than just a clan, aren't they? I sense some heroes are gonna be made and maybe Leena might come into play here. Ahh, I adore Leena and she's so sweet and innocent. Hey guys please answer my poll on my profile I would really like to know what you think of that story and if you like it then I will try my best to finish it out. So everyone, have a great day/night, eat your vitamins, watch out for talking fish (especially the salmon), and keep it real.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5- Hallucinations

Was I dreaming? I think I might have been. I saw Ralu coming to get me with Neytiri's sister, Sylwannin; but she had been killed long before I was born, so why could she be here?

"Saniya, come on stay awake for me" Ralu's voice coaxed with a slight tap on my cheek.

"How many days have I been here?" I asked drowsily.

"At least two maybe three" Ralu replied. Sylwannin walked calmly ahead of us as I noticed we were close to Kelutral.

"What do you remember?" Sylwannin asked.

"Uhh, two warriors were chasing me and they were going to kill me but one said the blood on me would attract animals" I croaked, my voice coming out in small rasps due to my lack of food and water for however long I've been stuck there. I slowly let my senses tell me where I was and what was happening while I noticed Ralu was carrying me in his arms before he said, "You're very weak; whatever they did to you really messed you up"

I tried my best to growl, but it came out as a weak hiss before I started feeling myself drift back into to sleep until I heard mother's voice scream, "Oh Eywa! My daughter!"

Sylwannin prevented mother from getting to me as I saw her in tears and reaching for me.

"Please, everyone. She is weak and very delirious and we ask that you keep space between yourself and her" Ralu commanded with an authoritative streak within his voice. I certainly felt weak as Ralu laid me in a hammock somewhere within Kelutral but I didn't care. Neytiri rushed over to me, letting out a squeal of horror when she saw how bad I looked, even shocking myself when I noticed how all the blood was caked on every part of my body.

"Mother, I have to show you something" Ralu said softly.

"Not now Ralu" she said as she started consulting with Jake for a moment before Sylwannin tapped her shoulder.

"What?" Neytiri snapped before turning around to see her resurrected sister.

"Hello, my sister" Sylwannin greeted as Neytiri almost fell back into Jake.

"How-how are you alive?" Neytiri asked.

"Eywa came to Ralu and sent me here to help in the war effort and to protect Saniya and Ralu at all costs. I'm like their bodyguard" Sylwannin explained with a smile. Neytiri just hugged her tightly, Sylwannin smiling and hugging her back as Ralu could've cared less about the temporary reunion and he turned his attention back to me, slowly caressing my forehead while I laid there scared out of my mind to go back to sleep.

"Why don't you sleep" Ralu said softly. I shook my head then looked at the dark red blood cake on my hands in disgust.

"They killed the hunting party" I said suddenly. Ralu's eyes took on a more serious look as Neytiri finally came over and asked, "How did you find them?"

"Tee' tan showed them to me" I replied, my voice giving almost every other sentence. I turned my head away from them to the thought of the bodies; boy was I glad I didn't see their faces.

"Sylwannin" I said softly.

"Yes Saniya. What do you need?" she answered.

"Key'lan is being held with the 'Angtsik. Save her please" I said quietly. Sylwannin nodded before reassuring, "I cannot save her now, but I will do all I can to get to her once you gain back your strength"

My ears went flat against my head in anger and I growled, "Why are you waiting for me? She is out there by herself and who knows what they've already done to her! She needs our help."

Sylwannin sighed then shook her head before getting up and leaving while Ralu and Neytiri stayed next to me.

"Just leave her be" Neytiri mumbled. Another wave of drowsiness caught me unexpectedly as Ralu gently consoling forced me to finally gain some rest though my mind was still on Key'lan.

…

"You look like a beautiful 'Angtsik huntress" Filt'naw said proudly, pleased with how his captive looked in her new clothing. Key'lan hissed with dislike to his prideful gait around her within a large hut he had built just for them since the warriors announced they had killed Saniya, leaving Key'lan alone since she had no other use to the growing clan, Filt'naw was allowed to take her as his own.

"I am only a huntress of the Omacticaya; this clothing is only temporary" Key'lan replied coldly. Filt'naw chuckled then said, "You can forget about them; their god is weak and we will crush them with our bare fists when the day comes. You will never see them again but, you will live a new life here and you will birth many of my children to further grow our clan"

Key'lan, without thinking, turned and slapped Filt'naw then growled, "I will rather die than birth any of your disgusting, horrid children let alone let you get that close to me"

Filt'naw punched Key'lan and kicked her when she hit the ground until she screamed for mercy before Filt'naw grabbed her and shook her then snapped, "Don't you ever hit me again or I will bury you in the ground so deep not even the gods will be able to save you. You hear me?"

Key'lan only whimpered in fear and screamed in terror when he shoved her against the wall of the hut and snapped, "I said you hear me?"

"Yes, yes, I hear you" Key'lan replied hastily then scrambled away from him to the other side of the room once he let go of her.

"Filt'naw…I heard a commotion. Is everything alright?" Mil'an's voice called gently from somewhere outside the hut but was quickly coming towards the entrance,

"Yes mother me and Key'lan were just, arguing" Filt'naw said happily, giving a commanding stare towards Key'lan to get up and muster a smile. By the time Mil'an walked inside, Filt'naw had his arm around Key'lan's waist, both of them with pleasant smiles as Mil'an greeted them accordingly before sitting down with both of them to chat of the goings on within the clan such as common gossips.

…

I woke slowly to a soft, wet cloth of some sort dabbing all over my body while I finally realized someone was doing something to me. I drew my knife and had it my attackers' throat in an instant before the attacker said, "There is no reason to kill me"

"Why not? What were you gonna do to me anyways?" I snapped.

"I'm trying to help you. That is all" she said calmly.

"Who are you?" I asked, demanding all my answers come out of her mouth before I cut her throat open.

"I'm Neytiri"

Suddenly all of my surroundings flooded back to me and I was back in Kelutral, not wherever I was previously. I saw Ralu, Sylwannin, and my family were standing around as I watched them suspiciously in case I was just being delusional and I was still within the confines of the vine and tree.

"It's okay, Saniya. There is no need to fear" Neytiri soothed, which worked into me as her words finally got me to calm down. I fell back into the hammock with a sigh before Ralu piped up, "We should take her to the river to wash all the blood off of her"

Everyone agreed since the caked blood had now for the most part had turned a nasty black color all over.

"Who will go with her?" Neytiri asked before a few called out, "Me" or "I will" until Sylwannin confirmed, "Ralu will go with her to help her wash while Neytiri and I go just in case we have anymore unplanned visits"

With that solved, we walked towards the river which wasn't too far away.

"Alright, you guys take your time and Saniya please don't kill anyone" Sylwannin ordered as they turned their backs and kept watch on the woods while Ralu helped me into the river and stayed on another side and washed my clothes while I washed myself. Neytiri gave me dry clothes as my old ones were drying and Ralu decided to have some fun and chase me through the woods until a whirlwind came and a bright light descended down until firmly on the ground, eventually molding into the shape of a Na'vi.

"Saniya and Ralu, I have come to bless you with a gift" Eywa's voice said, gentle yet strong and commanding all at the same time.

"Whatever gift you give to us is a blessing" Ralu said as we both kneeled before her in respect as our ultimate being. A Palalukan bounded into the area then came to Eywa's side as she said, "This power I will give you will help you fight the savages but it will come at a price. It will challenge you to remain able to control yourself and will test your faith in me"

Both of us nodded silently as Neytiri and Sylwannin came in still a ways away while Eywa reached down upon the Palalukan and struck it with a deadly blow. Out of it she pulled the soul of the beast and pointed to me then said as I walked towards her, "To you I give the hunger and instincts of this animal, it will guide you to be effective against your opponents, but, you must try to control that hunger since it is not your own, nor does it know right from wrong"

She then thrust the animals' soul towards me, knocking me backwards just as a wave of emotions, feelings, and instincts went through me like a stampede. I screamed in pain since whatever Eywa had put in me felt like it was ripping me apart from the inside out, but only an unmistakable Palalukan roar escaped my lips.

"I know it's painful at first, but you will adjust to it in a while" Eywa comforted as I remained on the ground while Ralu stared at me in horror before Eywa called him.

"To you, Ralu, I give the strength and also hunger of this animal. Like I said to Saniya, you must be able to control the foreign soul within you. Do you understand?" Eywa said. Ralu nodded before going down the same way I did.

"Now there will be times where you will actually change into a Palalukan, but do not fear if you do, just distance yourself from your clan mates" Eywa ordered then disappeared once again in a flurry of Atokirina. After a little bit, as Eywa has said, Ralu and I were totally fine and pretty much back to normal until Sylwannin said, "Saniya we should teach you how to properly fight in any combat situation"

"Why?" I asked. Neytiri gave me a look that said, "Just do it" before Sylwannin waved me over to a nearby clearing where she drew her knife and got in a fighting stance.

"When in battle, everything is chaos; no one will help since they are occupied with their own enemies. So always stay balanced, aware of your surroundings" Sylwannin coached as she suddenly disappeared and left me in the clearing alone. A flash of her braids caught my attention as I quickly deflected a jab towards my side then attacked with kicking her firmly in the stomach, sending her back a few feet then came at her and knocked her to the ground. I drove my knife towards her chest before her hand clamped around my wrist and resisted while I let out a loud growl of defiance until I looked over to Ralu, who seemed was more than ready to take a bite out of Sylwannin until she punched me, scrambling out of the way while I stayed where I was.

"My Eywa…you two are very powerful with these gifts Eywa gave you…" Sylwannin breathed as I got up and walked briskly over to Ralu. Neytiri looked at both of us then said, "Maybe we should wait before we do that again"

"Would you both shut up" I snapped. They both nodded as Ralu put his arm around me before we started our way back home.

…

"Sana, when are they going to attack us? Please we have to know" Neytiri asked, this time without as gentle of a voice since three days have passed since Saniya and Ralu were granted their new powers and were causing unrest among the clan.

"I don't know. Things are way different than the way they were planned out. We never meant to be holding Key'lan captive, or Sylwannin coming here, or Saniya and Ralu turning into Palalukan. I cannot predict when they will come" Sana explained. Neytiri sighed then left Sana by herself within her alcove. Sana got up and found Ateyo sitting on one of the large roots just outside of Kelutral and sat down next to him.

"Ateyo, have you seen Saniya or Ralu lately?" Sana asked curiously.

"I have seen Saniya but not Ralu; me and him don't get along anymore" Ateyo replied with distaste at the end of his words.

"Why?" Sana asked once again.

"Because once this raid is over and the Omacticaya are dead I'm going to take Saniya as my own" Ateyo answered flatly.

"What?" Sana said, completely caught off guard. He had told her just before he was banished, though it seemed like years ago, that he would come back for her but now he wants Saniya?

"Tee' tan and I agreed that I will take Saniya and he will have you" Ateyo said quietly. Sana hissed angrily then snapped, "I refuse to be with that horrid man and his selfish composure. He tricked you, Ateyo. Can't you see that? He has you sitting here doing his dirty work while he's getting all the benefits without lifting a finger. And both of you have such an audacity that you would pick and choose who you wanted as a mate and not leave any room for the woman you chose to have her say? That is revolting, filthy, and arrogant behavior."

Sana left in a huff before going back to her alcove, which Neytiri deemed as her official home since she has betrayed the 'Angtsik and most likely won't be allowed back anytime soon. She fell into the hammock and burst into tears; Ateyo knew how she felt for him and was obviously digging a knife into her heart without any remorse or regret. Furthermore, Saniya was oblivious to the fact the one she hated had put a claim on her; she probably had her suspicions with the way he has been acting around her but it didn't make any difference, Sana was going to lose the one she loved to a trouble-making Blue Flute in one sweep.

…

I had long since regained my strength.

I've been waiting for too many days now; I needed to rescue Key'lan before they do something horrible to her. Ralu and I had arranged a meeting place in the cave I had showed him before, which is where I wait now, hoping he remembered how to find it.

"Whoo! Saniya I thought I was lost for a little bit!" Ralu said with a laugh but shut his mouth once he saw the death glare I was giving him for A. Being late. B. Being so loud.

"Come on Ralu, you know we gotta be quiet so we won't wake them" I said in a considerably lower voice than his while we quietly walked through the woods surrounding the village (the cave was remarkably close to the village, surprisingly we weren't already dead). The village was dead quiet with exception of two warriors chatting by their center hearth as Ralu and I moved into position right on the edge of the central village.

"Remember, we get in and get out with as little deaths as possible, got it?" I reminded as I drew my knife then added, "And don't let your Palalukan get the best of you"

Ralu nodded before he used his bow to keep watch over me while I maneuvered through the village with his guidance via microphones Jake let us borrow for this strategically important mission. I finally reached the hut that concealed the 'Angtsik leader and Key'lan until Ralu said over his mic, "Quick find some cover got two coming your way"

I quickly got out of sight and strained my ears to hear their footsteps as they passed without noticing me before Ralu informed, "Alright, their gone"

I returned back to my job as I cut a tiny hole through the tent then peered through to see where she was. Her captor was fast asleep within his hammock while she was crying softly in corner close to me. I crouched and snuck around then quickly found my way inside, making Key'lan squirm when she saw my shadow.

"Key'lan! Didn't I tell you to shut up and go to sleep?" the male snapped as I laid down flat against the ground while I watched in horror with the male chuckling as he got out of his hammock and fixed her tangled hair with a sense of caring though Key'lan flinched under his touch.

"Yes, you did, Filt'naw" she whimpered softly. _Don't give me away, don't give me away,_ were my thoughts as I waited for the male to go back to sleep before I army crawled over to Key'lan.

"Saniya?" she said in a whisper. I nodded then got up to a crouched position and cut the ropes that had her bound before silently ushering her out of the hut.

"Ralu, I've got Key'lan with me and I need eyes so I can get out" I said in a low voice as the moonlight finally let me assess how bad Key'lan was. In my mind, she was ten times worse than I was when I escaped.

"Saniya, I thought you were dead" Key'lan said as she hugged me tightly.

"Don't hug me too tight now, I'm trying to protect you" I replied quietly as Ralu lead us out of the village and we all ran to the cave. Ralu wrapped Key'lan in some blankets before we made the long trip back. I was walking Key'lan up to her alcove before Sylwannin came out of nowhere and shoved me to the ground.

"Where have you been?" she snapped angrily as I struggled to control the mayhem wanting to surface within me.

"Nowhere" I snapped between my teeth. Sylwannin grabbed my arm firmly and said, "I knew you would try something stupid with your new gift. Don't do it again."

I spat at her then ripped my arm away before she snatched me and threw me down the staircase, my fall only stopping when I slammed into a branch. I slowly got up before she came again this time beating me into submission.

"You listen to me; I'm only here to protect you and that is my only purpose. I will not give you this warning again." She snarled as she stalked over while I slowly rose to my feet. Most of the clan had awakened to see us fighting but now were going back to sleep as mother came down and raised hell with Sylwannin for beating me so bad.

"Saniya. You're okay right?" Key'lan asked as I sat down in the corner of her alcove.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Are you okay? You're really bruised" I said as I looked at the bruises all over her body.

"Um, yeah, I'm alright." She said quietly.

"Don't lie to me" I replied quickly. Her entire demeanor shrunk as she started crying then managed to say through her sobs, "He beat me"

I consoled her while Sylwannin earned an earful from mother while Ralu also came in to help me console Key'lan as I whispered to her softly, "You will have your chance"

**AN: Well, there you go guys, things are pretty tense between everyone really, and Sana's heart is broken. Key'lan is pretty much scarred for life. Ralu and Saniya re being driven crazy with their new gifts and Sylwannin is straight up cranky. Sorry if I spelled Sylwannin's name wrong, if I did I apologize to all of my readers for my mistake. Next chapter, well, you'll find out how Filt'naw's gonna react.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6- Women's warfare

Filt'naw woke to an unfamiliar silence within his hut. He rose, thinking the drowsiness had temporally impaired his hearing until he looked over to where he had held Key'lan for the night to find the ropes that bound her cut and a hole in the hut's walls closest to him.

"Tee'tan!" Filt'naw shouted angrily, Tee'tan bursting into the room with nervousness to what he had done wrong.

"Yes, Filt'naw?" he asked fearfully.

"The girl" Filt'naw growled "Where is she"

Tee'tan ran through his thoughts with unrelenting anxiety. Where is she? What happened to her? Then it hit him.

"Saniya might have taken her and took her back to the Omacticaya" Tee'tan suggested, earning an even more wrathful glare from Filt'naw.

"How! How could she disappear without any of the clan seeing or hearing anything?" Filt'naw snapped impatiently. Tee'tan flinched as his leaders' anger had reached its peak before saying quietly, "Saniya has already escaped the hands of death many times; she could do it over and over again without any sign of exhaustion."

Filt'naw punched him hard in his nose, sending him back on the floor as blood was starting to trickle down his face. Tee'tan scrambled away from him in fear he was going to kill him, since he didn't hesitate to kill his two warriors that stood guard that night only minutes later for letting his woman get taken from him.

"Tee'tan assemble your strongest men; we're going to get her back" Filt'naw growled.

"Filt'naw the war party must be-"

"Do it!"

Tee'tan took off hastily to gather all that was requested of him while Filt'naw consulted with his father about the strike.

"It will be a warning to the Omacticaya of what's coming. We could officially declare war on them in that moment, in their terror, they will feel the gods' power and like I taught you, we will beat them into submission." Emmanuel stated. Filt'naw made a slight bow, a custom of respect within the 'Angtsik, then gave his mother a kiss on the cheek before grabbing his spear and gathered his war group, which consisted of about 10 warriors, before going off into the woods in search of vengeance.

…

Ateyo flew on his ikran solemnly; Sana's words weighed heavy on his mind. Had he really been ignorant to her feelings?...He still felt strongly for her, but had given up on trying to fight for her. Tee'tan was always better; stronger, faster, smarter, more loving even. Sana wouldn't dare try to mate with a worthless man, not with her father closely watching every male that so much as thought about her. A war cry caught his attention as he looked below to see 'Angtsik running through the woods with war paint and spears indicating they are a war party. Ateyo turned and forced his ikran at full speed back towards the Omacticaya to warn them.

…

"Saniya. Get up" Ralu said tersely as I only rolled over in my hammock and easily went back to sleep before he finally picked me up and threatened to drop me only then did I wake up, though unwillingly.

"What is it?" I asked irritably, wondering what smart remarks were going to come out of his mouth.

"I really want to talk to you about something" Ralu said with a shrinking sense to his voice. I sat down in my hammock and said softly, "Tell me"

"You know when Eywa gave us the hunger of a Palalukan, right? Well, it's been gnawing at me for days now and I can't find anyway to satisfy it" he explained. I couldn't blame him; I've been dreaming of meat for a good while now.

"Well, what have you tried?" I asked, rubbing my thumb across his hand gently, as if he would break into a million pieces if I wasn't careful.

"I've tried eating a meatier diet but it doesn't work" he replied. I thought his words over; pretty much, without going totally ape, we could only eat a meatier diet and hope that would do the trick but it hasn't.

"I don't know what to tell you, Ralu. I guess we'll just have to see what happens" I said but Ralu seemed focused on something entirely different.

"Ralu?" I said, shaking him before he snapped, "Kiss me"

I hesitated but didn't refuse his request as I gave him a quick kiss, only to be pulled back and held firmly there by his arm. I tried to at least stop for a breath but he seemed to get more agitated every time I attempted to escape from his grip. Finally, I shoved him away before he came back and sunk his teeth in my shoulder, sparking my anger as he pushed me down the staircase until I was at the bottom level and my howls of pain attracted everyone's attention while we were lost in sudden anger before I noticed Ralu was starting to attack others. I distracted him by throwing a rock at him and taking off, and he followed a lot faster than I thought; finally he tackled me to the ground and pinned me without an ounce of his normal self in his eyes.

"Ralu! Ralu! It's me! Saniya!" I pleaded but it didn't deter him the slightest. I slapped him and it seemed to bring him back a little.

"Saniya?" he asked; the hungry, crazed look in his eyes gone.

"Oh, Ralu. Don't ever do that again" I sighed while he still looked at me in confusion.

"How did we get out here?" he asked again, this time earning my look of confusion.

"You kind of went Palalukan and attacked me" I explained flatly.

"I don't remember any of it" he replied. I pointed over to the now bleeding wound on my shoulder.

"You bit me and threw me down the staircase for a start" I said. His eyes went wide with horror as he suddenly came over and hugged me and begged for forgiveness until Ateyo almost rammed into us after randomly jumping out of the bushes.

"What is it, Ateyo?" I asked, very annoyed.

"'Angtsik are coming! They have come to declare war and to take back your friend" he panted. I looked at him hard for almost a whole minute. Could he really have had a change of heart or was he just bluffing? He could be so he could make us paranoid then strike once we let our guard down.

"Why have you had a change of heart?" Ralu asked.

"Sana confronted me about how I was acting towards you, Ralu, her, everyone. I realized that I don't need to destroy a clan just to be with the one I truly love and I wish to regain her trust" Ateyo explained. Ralu nodded but decided we all needed to be on guard in case they came out any minute.

"They are at least two hours away. You time to prepare" Ateyo said as we quietly made our way back to Kelutral.

"You were in the air looking down at the dense forest, you might have just saw the main clump of warriors, not all of them" Ralu countered, silencing Ateyo. After a few minutes of intense silence, we reached Kelutral and sprinted up to Neytiri.

"The 'Angtsik are coming, Mother. We need to prepare" Ralu said urgently. Neytiri's became deadly serious then said to me, "Get Key'lan out of here"

I nodded then took off to find Key'lan, who was in her alcove asleep, violently woke her and made her grab her bow and knife before we tear down the staircase and into the woods.

"What's wrong?" she asked we kept moving through the woods.

"An attack. They are coming back to get you. After I drop you off I will return will my family" I explained as I found woven cave made from the dead leaves of the forest trees, easy enough to find but very hard to pick out with the blending of the forest. I left her there and ran back to get my mother and Leena, who were hidden in mother's alcove.

"Mother you must go to the forest. Key'lan is there where you made the grass cave; she is waiting" I said as I picked up Leena and hurried them into to the forest. I stopped and set Leena down and said softly, "No matter what happens to me, you stay strong for mother, alright?"

She nodded, silent tears going down her face as she hugged me tightly and whispered, "Please don't leave me alone here. I don't want to lose you"

"I'll come back. I promise" I reassured, putting my two index fingers to my lips, then to Leena's forehead. She did the same back to me, then ran to her mother when war cries starting rising. I ran back to Kelutral and found Ralu, who helped me get covered in war paint then we both took the front end of the crowd of warriors that waited. It wasn't long before they showed up, just as ready to fight as we were, and waited until at least 30 people were all there until the same tall man I saw in their arena came to both me and Ralu and said, "You have taken something from me that is not yours. I demand that you return it, or your clan will face the consequences"

"We have only taken what was ours" I replied calmly.

"Key'lan is yours no more. She is a believer of the gods, and is loyal to me. I have given her a new freedom, which she will never regret once she comes back" he countered.

"I saw you tie her to the wall of your hut, since she is not worthy to have a hammock of her own." I snapped.

"Enough. You will give me what I want" he snarled. I drew my knife; this was going to be a bloody battle. I looked over to my Father standing along with Jake and Neytiri, waiting for confirmation to attack. They nod. I gave a nod to Ralu and we both kicked down a warrior and killed them with ease. Cries of pain and anguish rise almost immediately as both factions clashed in a deadly combination. As quick as the battle started, it was over. 'Angtsik were retreating but had left a decent dent in our forces as well. I looked over the crowd. Ralu, Neytiri, and Jake were fine. I find my father lying on the ground and I lose it.

"Sempu! Sempu!" I called as I fall to my knees by his side. I gaze in horror at the arrows deep on his chest as he struggled to breath and said to me, "Saniya, you must stay strong. You are a warrior. You are the meaning of strength. Tell mother gently…please"

His brown eyes, the same as mine, faded and glazed over to signify his passing to Eywa. Ralu wrapped his arms around my shoulders and shushed me softly while I cried my heart out. Once I gathered myself I left to go get my family and Key'lan. Mother was the one to greet me with anxiety all over her face.

"Well?" she asked.

"Father didn't make it. He is with Eywa now" I said softly. Mother fell into my arms and sobbed until Leena and Key'lan finally came out of the cave.

"What happened, Saniya?" Leena asked, I could see the very fear in her eyes, conjuring up horrific scenarios that could've played out that would've made Mother cry like this.

"We will speak later" I reply and slowly caress mother's back in effort to soothe her, but of course it doesn't help.

"Key'lan can you lead my mother home" I asked quietly and Key'lan nods then comforts mother while they leave Leena and I alone. When they are finally gone, Leena's eyes search me intensely for any kind of answer on my face but I will show none.

"What happened?" she asked, grabbing my wrists tightly.

"Father has gone with Eywa, Leena" I said. She looks at me as if nothing happened then said, "Well when can we go see him"

"He's dead, Leena" I said again. Leena face twisted in anger as she snapped, "What do you mean he's dead?"

I was baffled by how she still couldn't understand it; maybe it was because she was so young that she couldn't imagine her father passing.

"He died during the battle. Arrows to the chest" I explained slowly, this time it finally seemed to click.

"He's…dead" she echoed. I held her tightly as her tears came like an unrelenting rain until she cried herself to sleep and I carried her back home.

…

Key'lan lay curled up in her hammock, forcing herself away from others. Filt'naw had changed her entire future and how she was perceived by her fellow Omacticaya with a single, self-indulging act. It brought her to tears to think about it, and she wouldn't dare tell anyone. Footsteps put her on alert but she was slow to react as Saniya sat down in front of her, her knuckles scraped and bloody from her recent brawl with her own emotions.

"Hey, Key'lan." Saniya finally said after tense silence in between them. Key'lan frowned and said, "Family problems"

Saniya nodded then replied, "Leena's a mess. She won't eat, she has nightmares of losing me, and she won't speak to anyone"

Key'lan sighed, Fe'tu's death was simply unperceivable by Leena and now she had been ripped to shreds from grief.

"She can't starve herself forever, Saniya; she will eventually eat." She said soothingly; if only it were that simple for her.

"Saniya, you're my friend, right?" Key'lan asked nervously, spawning a confused expression from Saniya.

"Of course" she answered.

"And we can trust each other to keep secrets, right?" she asked again.

"Always" Saniya replied.

"Well, I didn't tell the truth about what Filt'naw did to me" Key'lan said hesitantly, Saniya's eyes narrowing with concern.

"What did he do" Saniya asked. Key'lan eyes started to tear as she recalled everything and began, "When the warriors chased you into the woods, Filt'naw came to me and said that I was already regarded as a beauty among his clan. The warriors said you were dead when they returned, and Filt'naw was going to choose his mate between us and he took me. He said I was going to birth many of his children and I slapped him and insulted his heritage. Then the night before you rescued me he went after me and claimed me, in his words, 'made me pure'"

Saniya's face creased with worry as she held Key'lan close and asked, "Are you what I think you are?"

Key'lan burst into a fit of tears and cried, "Yes! Yes! I went to a healer and she confirmed it! I'm nursing a monster inside me! Horrid demon child!"

Saniya's eyes let tears silently go down her cheeks as she whispered, "Why didn't you fight?"

"I did, but he drugged me somehow. I bet it was the food! He had starved me for three days before he finally fed me and it was laced with sedatives" Key'lan growled in self-disgust. Saniya thought for a moment, thinking how this would go with Neytiri. If she stuck with tradition, the mother would be killed along with the baby; of course Saniya would threaten Neytiri's life if they decided that was best. Or they could let the child live and hopefully not know about his father.

"We should bandage your hands" Key'lan suggested softly. Saniya helped her up before saying, "I will talk to Neytiri about this"

"No! No, please, don't" Key'lan begged.

"I must. People will shun you if you do not tell the truth. They will think your baby came from someone else within the clan and will lead to suspicions" Saniya reasoned. Key'lan finally agreed then quietly bandaged Saniya's knuckles while she told Neytiri of her predicament.

**An: Well, bye bye Fe'tu. I never really got to elaborating on how close Leena and Saniya were to their father, and I wish I had explained it but I will make sure to express it in the next coming chapters. I know I'm writing these chapters pretty fast and I don't know how I'm doing it since I usually spend a couple of days brainstorming before I actually make a new document but I guess it's a good streak I got here. Also, Ateyo's had a change of heart, maybe it took shattering Sana's heart to get him to realize what he is doing is wrong and I give them a couple of pages to themselves next chapter. So, thanks to my second reviewer, Curly Attack. Please everyone, I don't who you are, please go to my profile and vote on whether Here I am should stay or go, case it's tied write now with two peoples who have voted. Thanks to everyone who's reading and please if you have any questions or if you would like to beta for me, then go ahead PM me I do nothing most of the day. **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7- A Little Token of Sorrow…

Filt'naw trudged his remaining warriors and their shattered egos as Emannuel would not be happy with Filt'naw's failure to go through with his word. Scouts spotted them and guided them back into the village before Mil'an found Filt'naw and said, "Emannuel would like to speak with you; immediately"

Filt'naw nodded then made his way over to his father's hut where he was waiting inside.

"Father you wanted to speak with me?" Filt'naw asked politely.

"Yes, I wanted to ask how did the raid go" Emannuel said with a stern look on his face.

"We were forced to retreat. They saw us coming" Filt'naw explained, expecting a vicious beating that would come from his father.

"Who gave you away?" Emannuel asked.

"Ateyo" Filt'naw spat in disgust.

"Of course. He wants to protect the one he claimed doesn't he?" Emannuel replied. Filt'naw grunted in agreement before Mil'an walked in and greeted both of them with a kiss on their foreheads and said, "Remaking war plans, gentlemen?"

The men chuckled as Emannuel replied, "As always. What brings you here?"

Mil'an smiled lightly towards Filt'naw as she answered, "I wanted to make sure my little warrior was alright after battle"

Filt'naw groaned in misery at the nickname; Mil'an had given it to him after he encountered a baby Palalukan as a child and he killed it without any help.

"Did you get back the woman, Filt'naw?" Mil'an asked happily as she fixed his ragged hair.

"No. I didn't. They saw us coming and hid her somewhere so we would have to search thoroughly to find her" Filt'naw asked with a bit of sadness. Despite how he treated her, he really did have feelings for her.

"Well, you will earn her back soon enough if the gods deem you two to be together" Mil'an soothed, reading the sadness in her son's eyes. Filt'naw smiled and hugged Mil'an before saying, "Thanks, mother. I appreciate your words of encouragement"

His mother nodded then left the hut to tend to other warriors who were recovering while Emannuel and Filt'naw chatted casually about war plans.

…

I was so sick of grief. It's like it didn't want to leave me; straining itself to find something in everything that represented my father in one way or another. Leena was completely destroyed; she wouldn't eat, always had nightmares, and wouldn't speak to me. Not even Ralu's smooth talking could get her to say a word to me.

"Saniya, your knuckles are bleeding again" Ralu sighed as I barely realized I had been punching the tree trunk. Ralu gently kissed my forehead and whispered, "Why are you hurting yourself like this"

"I can't take having to console mother every ten minutes and I'm sick of trying to get Leena to eat!" I snapped, punching the tree again, this time I felt the massive wave of pain that came with it.

"You're gonna have to stop forcing them! Leena and Daman have their own ways of coping and so do you. Your way is anger; you get angry because you weren't ready to see your father leave you so soon. You thought he would be there the day you would be mated off. You thought he would be there when you birthed your first child. But now, it won't happen now that a warrior took his life, leaving you to provide for Leena and Daman since you are the only warrior in the family." Ralu explained heatedly.

"You don't know my father!" I shouted angrily,

"I'm talking about you! I know how you function Saniya" Ralu snapped back. I could only glare at him in denial but he was right as he always was.

"You can't keep hurting yourself over things that you can't help" Ralu said softly, holding my wrists gently. He put his forehead to mine whispered, "Please; I don't want you to be angry at the world because of your father"

"It's so hard to watch Leena just rot away" I replied softly, thinking of the numerous times I had offered food to her and she refused to eat it.

"She will eventually accept reality and eat. She will not starve herself if she has common sense" Ralu soothed. He kissed my cheek gently then looked at my bloody, stinging hands with dismay as I remarked; "I hold no mercy on myself, do I?"

Ralu chuckled and replied, "With a good bit of the bone showing, I would think so"

"Mother's not gonna like seeing me with a healer again" I laughed as we made our way over to find a healer who could wrap my knuckles a second time.

…

"Sana! Sana wait!" Ateyo called as he watched Sana attempt to flee into the woods without being spotted.

"What Ateyo?" Sana snapped, still moving at a brisk pace away from Omacticaya incase her encounter with Ateyo turned violent.

"Please, I want to talk to you" he pleaded while trying his best to keep up with Sana. She turned sharply and snapped, "What do you want to speak with me about?"

"I want to apologize for how I've treated you" Ateyo replied. Sana folded her arms in skepticism and said, "Seems you've treated Saniya well. Warning her about the 'Angtsik coming to get her friend."

"That was when I decided to help the Omacticaya instead of punish them" Ateyo shot back.

"It doesn't mean I should forgive you" Sana snarled. "What you've done to me is irreversible"

"I can fix it if you let me" Ateyo begged, determined to get Sana to remove this hatred for him out of herself. "I shouldn't have the one I love hating me and the one that wants to kill me be my best friend. It should be reversed."

"What makes you so sure you love me" Sana spat.

"You the only person that can change my mind" Ateyo replied. Sana looked at Ateyo for a long minute before saying, "fine. I'll give you a chance. One chance, that's it"

Ateyo hugged her and said, "Thank you, Sana. You won't regret this"

…

I was overwhelmed with excitement. Thoughts raced through my head like winds on a stormy day over a single question I wanted- no, needed to ask Saniya. I had told nobody of my recent decision; who was there to tell? Mother would love it and begin preparations for a celebration but I knew that was the last thing Saniya would want. I would tell Father, but he would tell Mother in a heartbeat. I searched for Saniya from a high perch that oversaw the entire bustling ground floor of Kelutral where I'm sure she would be going around helping whoever needed assistance while we were all trying to strengthen our defenses for any other attacks. I spotted her helping the children carve wooden ikran toys then painted them different colors like she did with Leena when she was younger. I crawled down from my high post and snuck up behind her before sitting down and saying, "Hey Saniya"

She yelped and drew her knife before turning her head to look at me. I pushed her knife out of the way of my throat before saying, "Well, someone's' a little jumpy today"

She let a sly smile creep onto her lips that said I had started something then she replied, "You shouldn't scare me like that"

"Who said I was trying to scare you?" I joked and poked her side playfully. She stuck her tongue out at me then turned to shoo the children back to their crafts then said, "I saw you staring me down on your little perch up there"

A stone cold dagger of ice went through me as I replied nervously, "You did?"

"Of course. I know all of your hiding places and perches when you want to find me. It's not hard" she laughed, somehow making me remember what I came to her for.

"How about we take a walk through the woods? I want to ask you something" I said hesitantly. A look of relief went through her eyes as she was already up and pulling me towards the woods as if she wanted to get away; I couldn't blame her since her household was in shambles currently. When we finally reached the clearing we always loved to spend our time in she turned and hugged me tightly before saying, "I'm so glad to be away from home"

"Why is that?" I asked.

"The children remind me too much of Leena" she said. She looked up at me since I was a good bit taller than her with a slight smile before I said, "When you are grieving for someone, it does that to you"

She leaned her head into my chest before I gathered all of my courage and said, "Saniya. I feel that I'm ready to become mated with you"

The sensation of her body tensing compounded with not feeling her warm exhale on my neck made my blood turn to ice as I halted my breath, afraid she would go off on a rant which would distance us and resultantly destroy any attempt for me to become mated to her anytime soon.

"Ralu, have you even thought of where we will go?" she asked, her deep brown eyes searching mine for an answer.

"I was going to let you choose, since I know your reluctance to leave your family" I replied, trying my best to smooth over her concerns. What about leaving her mother and sister for a night was so bad?

"A fair trade" she remarked, as if I would say more but I waited for her rejection or confirmation to where I will be later on this afternoon.

"Ralu, I would really like to go but I fear for family and what will happen to them if I am gone too long" she said slowly, unknowingly ripping off a piece of my heart with agonizing patience.

"That is why I'm letting you choose where we go" I retorted, but I didn't want to get too harsh or she will have a fit of rage.

"It doesn't help anything. It helps me stay close in case something happens, but I want to be there so I can prevent it from happening" she replied, a hint of accusation in her voice. Was she pinning me for the condition of her family? Or was it simply my bad timing? Who knows, Saniya could change her mind in a heartbeat about almost anything, except for her love for her clan, family, and me.

"Fine. I will wait in the clearing at sunset. If you don't come by nightfall, then I will know you weren't ready and I won't question it." I resolved, clearly catching her off guard. I knew she expected me to fight tooth and nail to get her to mate with me but I showed restrain only because of her sister's condition over her father's death.

"Deal" she responded. In her eyes I could see the conflicting emotions within her, suggesting that she'd upset me, which she had.

"Go" I snapped, but not too angrily though. She face registered hurt but that was quickly replaced with guilt; I wanted her to feel it, that she had cast me aside to try to remedy things she can't fix. Her ears flattened against her head with a combination of sorrow and guilt, she leaves. For a moment, I regret everything I said and want to rush up to her and babble back an apology, but logic overrules it. I begin to set up a nest in the tree from fallen leaves since evening was quickly approaching and I needed to set up a safe place for me to wait for Saniya if she comes.

…

"Did you enjoy your outing with Ralu?" mother asked in a faked joyful voice. Anyone with a brain could figure my family was void of joy, especially with Leena, who consumed her time with her thoughts. She was always continuously staring out of the window, probably making and remaking the numerous ways Father could've died. Decapitated. Knife through his throat. Arrows in the chest. So many ways he could've left this world and I'm the only one who would really know how.

"No. I didn't" I replied to mother's question as I grabbed a fruit took a hefty chunk out of it hungrily. Mother's features creased with concern over my answer and asked, "What happened?"

"He wants to become mated. I don't know what to say to it and he's made me an offer" I explain with chunks of fruit in my mouth.

"What offer" mother asked curiously.

"If I do want to mate with him, then I'll meet him in the clearing at sunset. If I don't, he'll understand. No questions asked." I answered.

"Why couldn't you decide?" mother asked.

"I don't want to leave you guys alone" I replied. Mother walked outside of the alcove and looked at the sky.

"It's evening. If you're going you should be getting ready" she said as she walked back inside.

"Who said I was?" I questioned. Mother looked at me and asked, "Do you love Ralu?"

"Of course I do" I answered.

"Do you want to be with him for life?" she asked again.

"Yes" I replied.

"Then go" she said, turning around to grab a brush and ordered me to sit down while she redid my hair. I sat patiently while mother took her time as she styled my hair until it was straight and flowing down my back.

"You look beautiful" she said with a proud smile growing on her lips. She untied the necklace around her neck and tied it around mine as she said, "Your father gave this to me the night we mated and it's been gracing this family with blessings ever since. It will do the same for you and Ralu with your family"

I rested my fingertips on it in disbelief, mother, out of all people, would give me one of her most precious and dearest tokens that kept the reminder of father with her to me?

"Mother, I cannot take this. It belongs to you and you only" I said as I untied it and laid it gently in her hands. She nodded with understanding and replied, "You better get going before Ralu gets impatient"

"I'm on my way" I said with a smile, grabbing my bow and was out the door until mother came running up to me and said, "You stay out with him as long as you two are safe and not far from Kelutral. I want nothing to happen to my daughter and soon-to-be son"

I hugged her tightly, knowing the waterworks would be showing up soon. It dawned on me that I would be the first child of hers to be mated off and with father not here to see it weighed heavy on both of our hearts.

"I am so proud of you, Saniya. No matter how many nights you had me in a frenzy trying to find you only to see you walking through Kelutral like nothing happened" mother said through her soft tears that were quickly becoming sobs. She finally released me as if releasing a butterfly into the open skies to fly. I hesitated to leave her in such an emotional mess but she urged me on. I finally turned and started my way to the clearing to meet Ralu. I carried myself a lot higher than I used to, I guess I've taken pride in myself for once. I felt like I was walking on air, but nothing could've prepared me for what happened next.

I reached the clearing and saw Ralu lying limp in the trees. For a moment, I thought he was asleep but I noticed he didn't breathe at all. I broke into a run to get to him but a form stepped out of the bushes. It was Tee'tan.

"Tee'tan what did you do to him!" I demanded angrily, aiming my bow at his throat for a quick kill but the tears of grief were already streaming down my cheeks.

"It's a casualty because of the two traitors you house! Ateyo foiled Filt'naw's plan to get Key'lan back!" Tee'tan snarled. I barely listened to him through my own sobs that racked my body. My entire body trembled every time Ralu's body appeared in my dreams once I had exhausted myself from crying but I knew I would have to take his body home. Tee'tan had left by the time I had awakened, and it was morning with rain that threatened to pound onto me the gloominess of their presence. I forced myself to my feet, only to vomit once I laid eyes upon Ralu's body, pale, that dead look you see in an animal's eyes while you gut them. After I forced everything out of my system, I climbed up the tree and sat next to him. His eyes were wide open, no bruises or any obvious signs that he fought Tee'tan before he killed him. A small water bag lay next to him and I picked it up, smelled it. It was certainly what killed him. Poison. I hope to Eywa it was painless. I finally grab Ralu's cold body and get him down the tree, and then I quickly wove a blanket I could pull him by since I didn't have the strength to carry him back home. I pulled him as gently as possible, I didn't want to carelessly drag him through the forest as Tee'tan would've done if I wasn't there most likely. Screams of horror and grief rose as I pulled his body to the center hearth and fell to my knees. I could find nothing to say, my voice wouldn't let me. Everyone had known by now that we were going to become mated the previous night but instead my love-struck eyes must meet such a horrendous sight.

"Saniya. Please, speak to me" mother pleaded as I slowly walked by my hammock, a hard pang of grief punching me with reminders of the times we shared there. This is what it must be like for mother, or at least when I first told her. This is how it feels to lose someone you love so deeply, beyond levels that your friends, family, even Eywa herself could understand. I didn't look at mother, she knows I've cried myself out somewhere away from public eye, she doesn't know that I'm going to kill Tee'tan. Even if it takes me going out of order of the clan, he's gonna rot next to Filt'naw and those humans every Na'vi despises.

**An: Heartbreaking. I'm gonna be honest and say I really didn't want to do that but I couldn't think of anything else so he we are. Saniya and her family are distant and slowly trying to get themselves back together with Saniya have to cope with both her father's and Ralu's death. Seriously, it kills me to do it. Well, more happy moments are approaching and we will see Tee'tan and Ateyo face off once again.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8- You just got Two-Faced

"Tee'tan did you do what I sent for you to do?" Filt'naw asked from a hidden spot in the trees.

"Yes. Ralu's sleeping well now, and Saniya's lost her sanity" Tee'tan said smugly, also still hidden in another tree so neither would be seen since they were so close to Omacticaya borders. Filt'naw chuckled to himself happily, the Omacticaya have been brought to their knees; their prince 'murdered' and their princess, well, she's in no condition to even have a knife of her own.

"You keep a sharp watch on them. If anything goes wrong you must notify me as soon as you can. If they bury Ralu then we will move in do as my father said, make them our slaves." Filt'naw ordered firmly.

"As you wish" Tee'tan replied gratefully before turning around and making his way back to his scouting spot just outside of Kelutral.

…

"Saniya, do you wish to eat today?" Mother asked gently while she went about our alcove. Saniya sat silently in Father's hammock, her knees tucked underneath her chin with her arms wrapped around them. She looked at mother and shook her head then looked at me then smiled a bit, but her eyes flashed away when I met her gaze.

"Mother, when will Saniya talk again?" I asked.

"She will talk and eat whenever she is ready like you did, Leena" Mother answered. I shrugged and looked over to see her watching mother clean around the alcove with a strange curiousness in her eyes, as if she was remembering something.

"Yaya?" I asked. Saniya looked up to the name, but only her eyes asked, "Yes?"

"Where is Sylwannin?" I asked. She hadn't appeared since Saniya and Ralu were blessed with their powers. She shrugged then pointed to her bow.

"Hunting?" I asked. She nodded.

"Leena, go check on Key'lan to make sure she is alright. I want to speak with Saniya for a moment" Mother ordered with a stern but concerned voice for Saniya. I left the alcove and ran down the staircase where Key'lan was laying lazily in her hammock, her stomach starting to form a distinct bump.

"Key'lan, mother sent me to check on you to make sure you were okay" I said as I sat criss-cross in front of her.

"I'm fine if you think me being extremely hungry after eating twenty minutes ago is fine" Key'lan said with distaste.

"Well, I was just checking" I replied. She growled at me, telling me to go, and I left since her moodiness would only make me moody. I decided to walk down to get a piece of fruit to give Saniya a little bit more time to talk with mother since she probably was having a hard time getting any answers out of Saniya. I grabbed a small fruit and munched on it casually until I heard Neytiri cry then found Ralu standing, holding Neytiri in a tight hug while she bawled her eyes out.

"Ralu?" I called. His head snapped around to me, a wide smile growing on his face as he said, "Leena! How is Saniya?"

The light smile on my face changed to a solemn expression; he wouldn't like what happened to her after her died. He managed to get Neytiri to let go of him and he came over to quickly then asked, "What happened to her?"

"She isn't the same. She has nightmares to the point where she thrashes in her sleep. And will not talk either." I explained, they entire Ralu's face showed nothing but regret and sorrow. I took him to Mother's alcove where they were talking; Ralu and I hid just outside the entrance where we could hear and see them while still not being seen.

"Saniya, I want to know what happened to Ralu. I know it's hard for you to talk about him, but for your safety we need to know" Mother's voice said gently.

"I…found him lying in a tree…I thought he was sleep but he didn't move so I tried to go to him but Tee'tan…he killed him. Poison. He gave him poison that smelled like death itself." Saniya explained in a slow, painful, saddened voice that seemed to be tearing Ralu apart.

"Saniya!" Ralu called. Saniya was on her feet immediately but Mother pulled her back, and there was a scuffle until Saniya screamed out desperately, "I heard him! I heard his voice, mother! He's alive!"

"No he's not, Saniya. You know that happens with our loved ones' spirits have to say goodbye" mother said as Saniya cried and struggled more frantically. Finally Saniya came flying out of the alcove and called, "Ralu! Where are you?"

Ralu stood and slowly walked over to her, though she didn't see him, he wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "I'm back"

She whirled around and came face-to-face with him, the first real smile in a while dominated her face as she hugged Ralu tightly and he spun her around in his arms.

"What happened? Everyone thought you were dead" Saniya asked as she kept a tight hold on Ralu as if he would disappear if she let go.

"Tee'tan ambushed me from the woods. I begged him not to kill me then and to wait another day, but he wasn't going to. So he made me take some herb that made my heartbeat so slow that it made me look like I was dead" Ralu explained. I figured this Tee'tan guy was trying to scare Saniya; show her that he could kill anyone she loved as he pleased and knew she couldn't anything to get back at him without losing her own life.

…

"Ralu, you know we have been begging you to become mated with Saniya" Mother's voice spoke up while I was climbing into Saniya's hammock with her.

"Yes, mother. We will soon. I promise" I said, poking Saniya in her side as she cuddled up against me to shield her from any outside worries. Mother folded her arms in annoyance then said, "Saniya, you know others have been trying their hardest to court you ever since we chose you for Ralu. I have a bad feeling that something with the 'Angtsik will test your bond with each other. I'm warning you guys"

Saniya and I nodded then watched Mother leave before Saniya said, "You weren't kidding when you said she was pressuring you"

I chuckled and replied, "I think something bad is gonna happen if she's jumping on my back like that, so, we should heed her warning"

She smiled slightly before getting comfortable beside me and closing her eyes. I kissed her goodnight and wrapped my arms around her so she may sleep without any nightmares.

Morning brought horrible news. Sana had been hunting alone and managed to snare Tee'tan from his hiding spot, now Saniya and I were left to torture the truth from him. Saniya's mother gave us a hefty breakfast since she assumed Tee'tan would be difficult to snap. Saniya was quiet as we collected our weapons of torture, ranging from a simple knife to wooden crafts my father had to make.

"You alright, Saniya?" I asked as we walked to the separate alcove where no one would hear any screams to come from Tee'tan.

"I just can't believe we're about to torture someone" she breathed.

"Saniya, you heard from Eywa herself that his kind were no children of hers. That means we can do whatever we want with them" I replied. She seemed to shake off the guilt she felt before she said, "Yeah. You're right"

We stopped just outside of the solitary room where I could already hear the groans of discomfort coming from Tee'tan.

"Saniya. If it hurts you to do this as a normal being, don't let her see this. Become the bloodthirsty Palalukan if you must, I'm sure it will help" I soothed. She nodded and I went through the thick drapery that muffled Tee'tan's moans.

"Ohh Saniya, I'm so glad that you've come to see me" Tee'tan grumbled groggily as Saniya was no longer herself and looked like she wanted to wallow in a pool of blood.

"We don't come to give you our love and sympathy." Saniya said coldly. "You know everything we want to know. Now get to talking"

Tee'tan chuckled then replied, "You think I'm just going to tell you everything?"

"No. We didn't, but we came prepared to do whatever we can to get you tell us" I snapped and grabbed a bucket of water then strung it on a contraption that was already in place which slowly dripped water onto Tee'tan's forehead.

"What are you doing?" he asked, a hint of fear in his voice. I set the bucket to where it only let out very small streams of water so I wouldn't waste it in only a few hours. A single drop fell on his head, making him laugh.

"You fools! You will never get anything from me with just water!" he said, but I said nothing and both Saniya and I left the room.

"He'll be begging us for mercy by the end of the day" Saniya said with a more than cruel smile on her face.

"I bet" I replied. After a few hours of relaxation and waiting, Saniya hadn't come out of the blood-crazed stupor I had told her to put herself in, not that I expected her to; it was a hard mood to come out of anyways.

"Have you ever wondered what a Na'vi tastes like?" Saniya asked while staring into her mother's alcove at Leena, who was sleeping peacefully. I stared at Saniya and noticed the difference in her eyes. Her pupils were dilated until there wasn't any showing of the brown in her eyes.

"Saniya, don't think like that" I said hesitantly, seeing her canines were longer than I thought they were earlier. She rose and drew her knife then started crawling on all fours towards Leena.

"Whoa, whoa! You're not going to kill your own sister" I said as I jumped in front of her. She shoved me back and hissed menacingly.

"Come on, just a taste" she pleaded seeing that I wouldn't let her past me. Her mother come out of nowhere from within the alcove and asked, "What's going on?"

"Get Sylwannin!" I said before Saniya went after Daman, but I held her back. Daman took off past me while Saniya sunk her dagger-like teeth into my chest, an obvious look of pleasure when she ripped the skin away. My own blood dripped from her lips with her fingernails lengthening into claws. Suddenly Eywa's words echoed in my head, _distance yourselves from your clanmates_. I grabbed Saniya and dragged her down the steps haphazardly, causing people to scream in fear at Saniya's condition. I dragged Saniya through the woods until we reached the clearing. She got up immediately and stumbled over to a tree, sinking her claws into it.

"What's happening to me" Saniya asked.

"I don't know. I thought you were gonna really go Palalukan so I brought you out here away from the clan" I answered.

"Thanks" she grunted before she pulled her fingers out of the tree, leaving eight holes within its trunk. After a few minutes she calmed down, and we could safely go back up to Daman's alcove until Tee'tan's screams of anguish alerted us.

"Oh God! Please! Somebody get me out of here! Make it stop! Make it stop, please!" Tee'tan screamed as we came inside.

"Well, gonna tell us everything?" I asked, crouching in front of him as he struggled within his restraints to avoid the water dripping on his head.

"Yes! Yes! I'll tell you everything! Everything! Just make it stop" he begged.

"Talk then I will" I said. His face hardened then he spat, "No."

A scream suddenly cut through the room. It sounded like it came from my parents' alcove.

"Sana!" Tee'tan gasped. I peeked out of the room to see Saniya beating the mess out of Sana, who was bleeding from her temple and nose, passed out on the floor.

"Don't worry, she agreed to it" Saniya called. I nodded then went back to my former position in front of him.

"What are you doing to her?" he demanded.

"Tell me everything and I will spare her life" I replied calmly.

"What are you doing to her! Please! Don't kill her-"

A scream coupled with only Saniya's roar greeted our ears. After that, silence.

"No…" Tee'tan mumbled. Saniya stumbled in with a wound to her shoulder, but that was the only wound she sustained but Sana's fate was still uncertain.

"She's dead" Saniya said, the dilation of her eyes I would've expected to see wasn't there.

"Bring her in" I said. Saniya left and dragged Sana's body in by her hair. I took her pulse. She's alive, breathing gently enough so it can go unnoticed.

"Good job, Saniya" I said as I pushed the body aside. "Tee'tan! Now tell us what's gonna happen. If not then I will find the rest of your family and kill them too"

Tee'tan cried softly as he explained, "Filt'naw is going to invade when he gets the okay from me. Since I don't think it will be so, he will invade after he gets impatient"

I put my knife to his throat and snapped, "Is this the truth?"

"Yes! Yes!" he said quickly.

"Good" I said then walked outside where Saniya was nursing Sana's wounds.

"How do you feel?" I asked her.

"Like shit. Saniya can really hurt someone" Sana replied as Saniya put a blue paste on her temple where a lump was starting to form.

"Not to mention the knife to my shoulder, Sana" Saniya joked and pointed to the bandage around her shoulder.

"You two can put up a good fight. Anyways, I got Tee'tan to talk and he said they won't invade unless he reports to their leader" I said as I helped Sana on her feet to take her to one of Father's friends to get real healing help for her.

"Sana, would it bother you if we killed Tee'tan?" I asked as I carried her down to where Maxpatel would be to help her.

"No." she answered, her eyes lingering on me for a couple seconds longer than I would've liked. I shifted my grip on her by moving my hand further up her thigh, thinking it would show my uneasiness to her. She ears perked up at the gesture, even blushing slightly. It backfired. The fur on the end of her tail brushed against my chin, this time I both gave into and resented the bold move. The seductive look she gave me was the last straw. Only Saniya would be allowed to make such attempts towards me and to do it in public where we could be seen was worse. I pretty much dropped her and spat, "You will walk the rest of the way"

She caught herself before falling but the look on her face didn't show defeat, more like an, "I got you" type of look. I was quick to leave her in Maxpatel's hands before brushing off the slight thoughts of what she would've done if I'd let her continue her act.

"You look like you just got laid" father said as I sat down on mother's hammock.

"Father. You might have to watch Sana. She is quite seductive" I said as I tried to shake the electric feeling that overtook me with my encounter with Sana.

"What?" Mother snapped, burning my soul with a wrathful glare.

"Time for me to leave" father said but mother also pinned him to his seat.

"Now, Ralu, explain to me why Sana is 'seductive'" she said angrily.

"I was taking her to Maxpatel since her and Saniya had to collaborate to help us get information from Tee'tan and she just started seducing me while I carried her" I explained.

"Why in the world were you carrying her!" Mother snapped.

"She was hit in the head and couldn't walk that well on her own so I helped her down so it would be faster" I replied. Mother's anger reduced at my answer before she asked, "Was Saniya there?"

"No" I answered. A sigh of relief escaped her lips.

"Don't tell her. She's a hothead and will probably fight Sana if she finds out" Mother said. I nodded before I was dismissed and certainly had to take a minute to stop my turbulent emotions before I went back to Saniya.

**An: welp, war is at stand still for the moment, Sana's got something up her sleeve with Ralu, who knows if it's directed towards Saniya or is it an act to help the 'Angtsik? I actually tried doing something from Leena's point of view and I felt it worked kind of, since I didn't think I could effectively to Saniya's. Guys, PLEASE go to my profile and look at my poll I don't care who you are or if you read it or not just please vote since it's tied 50-50 so please vote. I will love you forever if you do! And thanks to everyone for reading and have a great day/night! **


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9- Isn't she lovely?

Sana felt shunned for her actions with Ralu. But then again, she could've sworn it was Ateyo carrying her at that moment. Possibly, what Maxpatel called a _concussion_ just made her distort the faces of the people around her into someone else. Hopefully, Ralu wouldn't see that she be punished for her mistaken deeds and forgive her eventually.

"Sana?" Saniya's voice called. Sana's blood ran cold; Saniya was the last person she wanted to see for fear she had been told by Ralu or Neytiri herself.

"Y-yes?" Sana answered as Saniya happily climbed up onto a branch above Sana.

"Have you seen Ralu? He went hunting this morning and hasn't returned with the others" Saniya asked. Sana immediately thought about how bothered he was when he finally had enough and pretty much just threw her to the floor and worried that Saniya was only playing nice because of Neytiri's orders.

"No I haven't, Saniya. He may be having a difficult time getting back" Sana answered quietly, finding sudden interest in her braids. Saniya was silent and watched her for a few seconds, studying her nervous twitches before asking, "Is there something wrong, Sana?"

"No, no, of course not. I'm fine" Sana replied quickly. Saniya jumped down from her spot above Sana and rested a hand on her shoulder, "You sure? You can tell me anything"

Sana looked up at Saniya then said, "I'm just worried about what you're going to do with Tee'tan since, you know, he still thinks I'm dead"

Saniya sighed then replied, "You still have feelings for him don't you"

Sana paused for a moment; pondering if yes would be the right answer for her heart. She loved both Tee'tan and Ateyo dearly, and the loss of either of them would devastate her to no end.

"Yes" Sana answered. Saniya pulled her hand back and rose to her feet.

"That means we can't trust you" she said stiffly then left.

…

Filt'naw was fed up with Tee'tan's procrastination of the meeting. He raced through the forest with quickness but his silent footsteps wouldn't alert any scouts that were dozing around this time of day. He came upon Tee'tan's scouting spot and gazed at it in horror. Two arrows had lodged themselves firmly in the tree and blood that streamed down the tree had dried and turned an unappealing black. He was definitely either dead or holed up inside of the Omacticaya's walls of safety. Who knows what they've done to him? The worry he must feel for his family?

Nothing in the world could've soothed Filt'naw's angers at that moment, but he was wise enough to control it. He took off at a full sprint back towards his village to inform them and gather all of his warriors.

…

I was content with my world.

I had nothing pressing to worry about; I didn't have to worry for the safety of my family. I had Ralu back and was happy as ever that I had come to him and told him I was ready to make our love final. Even Key'lan was a few days away from giving birth to her child, and Key'lan had forgiven Filt'naw for what he had done to her and was ecstatic for the future life she would have with her child.

Mother was busy helping Neytiri prepare the food and decorations for our mating celebration once we returned from our sleep with Eywa. I was left to Leena and Key'lan, who lay in her hammock sleeping while Leena was busy trying to carve her first knife but wasn't doing well without my help.

"Saniya, why are you so good at making weapons?" Leena asked as I smoothed out the chunky cuts Leena had made in the handle of her knife.

"Nothing but spare time and years of practice" I answered with a smile once I finished. I handed it over to her and her face lit up with excitement and began trying to cut rope.

"It's dull it won't cut anything" I said. Leena frowned before she asked, "Why does it have to be dull?"

"Since you haven't started your Iknimaya training and you're still a child you aren't allowed but I'm letting you have a dull knife which is enough to get me in trouble" I answered, pointing a warning finger towards her. She seemed content with my reasoning behind the dull knife and tried fake knife fighting with imaginary warriors. Key'lan finally stirred from her deep slumber and grumbled, "I'm hungry"

I grabbed a purple fruit and tossed to her, only earning a harsh glare since she didn't see it coming.

"Come on; cheer up some why don't you?" I snickered.

"I'm just tired" she replied with a yawn.

"Get your rest you will need all of your energy in a few days" I suggested happily, finally coaxing a smile from Key'lan.

"You think he will ever know about his child?" Key'lan asked.

"Filt'naw? Maybe he won't care or he will enough to try to work something out between us. Basically, if we can't defeat him with manpower, you're our only plan B" I replied. Key'lan stared at me for a long time, or at least it seemed like it, before she said, "I don't want him to have any say in how I raise my son or daughter if he does decide to care"

"I'll make sure of it personally" I assured. Key'lan smiled slightly before drifting off back into her sleep. Even I started to doze when an unfamiliar pair of hands seized my shoulders and started yanking me backwards. Of course I screamed, waking Key'lan and startling Leena, but only Ralu's laughter came from behind me as I snapped, "Ralu! How dare you"

"Wow Saniya I didn't know you could scream so loud" Ralu said as he held his hands to his ears. I stood with my arms folded across my chest and there was no mistaking that I wasn't furious; causing Ralu to get soft and hug all over me and apologize (I admit, I could never stay mad at him longer than 2 minutes).

"You're not supposed to be here" I said.

"I know but I couldn't wait" he said, using his finger to lift my chin so he could kiss me. I couldn't stop the blush that rushed to my face when I looked over to see Leena making faces towards me.

"Leena don't make me come over there" I warned playfully. She giggled and waved her knife in the air and said, "Don't make me use this!"

I drew mine and gave her one of those, 'you really think you can beat me?' looks and she ran back to Key'lan in the safety of the alcove.

"You made her a knife?" Ralu asked.

"How did you know?" I replied.

"The way you carve is very distinct. It's really hard to miss" Ralu answered before his soft lips prevented me from saying anything smart back.

"Ugh, guys get a room" Key'lan remarked with disgust as she got out of Mother's hammock for once and waddled over to get another piece of fruit. I turned to get back at Key'lan but she had her back turned to me but she seemed to feel my eyes watching her and waved me off.

"You're just jealous you can't move faster than us" Ralu teased, getting a fruit beamed at his forehead for the insult. Ralu said goodbye after the incident, leaving me one last kiss to hold onto until tonight while Mother returned to do my hair once again but this time it was twice as beautiful.

"Saniya, you better not find anyone dead this time." Mother scolded. "I wasn't getting emotional for any reason"

She hugged me once again while I grabbed my bow before Leena tugged on my tail and asked, "Will it hurt?"

"I guess I'll find out in a little while, won't I?" I chuckled then teased her by tickling her underneath her chin. She giggled then ran behind Mother just as I turned to leave and walked down the staircase to see Ralu waiting for me.

…

"You look beautiful" I remarked as the love of my life tentatively walked down and took my waiting hand immediately then kissed my cheek.

"You look rather handsome as well" she replied but it didn't seem to be intended to be as loving as I thought it would be.

"Is something wrong?" I asked quietly, noticing the large amount of eyes plastered on us while we made our way towards the clearing.

"It's just…everyone's staring" she answered halfheartedly and gave cautious smiles to all she made eye contact with.

"Relax. It will be just us in a matter of minutes" I soothed and hastened our pace so she would be a little bit more comfortable in the forest. The clearing breathed new life into Saniya, any self-consciousness had evaporated off of her shoulders as she seemed to just glide beside me; no one would deny that our love was true, despite little bumps every now and then, but what was a relationship that didn't have trials?

"So, you said you would take me some place" she piped up after we sat in silence in the middle of the clearing for at least twenty minutes.

"It's a long walk" I replied.

"We've got an entire two days to ourselves; I don't give a damn" she joked then helped me up to my feet.

"Well, I want to take you to the cliff of a waterfall I found way before I knew you, but I knew I was going to take my mate there" I suggested, watching Saniya's eyes light up in excitement at my words.

"Will we have to go by ikran?" she asked.

"Of course" I replied. I immediately called my ikran, Atan, and waited for him to reply and make his way to me.

"He's a little whiny at times, so prepare yourself for ultimate annoyance" I warned as Atan landed in front of me, hissing angrily at Saniya until I made tsaheylu and he understood everything. I hopped on then helped Saniya on while she wrapped her arms around me tightly as I willed Atan to the skies and flew for a long time.

Finally we came upon a huge cascading waterfall about as wide as Kelutral is tall with loads upon loads of water going over the edge every minute.

"You like?" I asked cockily, chuckling at the look of awe on Saniya's face.

"Its amazing Ralu" she managed to get out before Atan dived, running his belly against the falling water and pulling up at the last second, Saniya digging her fingers into my side the entire white-knuckle ride.

"Don't do that again" Saniya said between tense teeth before she finally relaxed her grip slightly. I willed Atan to the top of the waterfall on a cliff just to the side of it. Saniya hopped before I did, seemingly eager to reach solid ground as Atan gave a hiss of arrogance just after I dismounted and shooed him off back to Kelutral.

"So, now what?" Saniya asked in a slightly seductive tone. I looked at her through the corner of my eye and replied, "You better run"

Her eyes were pure joy as I turned then gave chase to her lean form sprinting through the forest and knew the kind of odds I had put myself against but I caught her for the first time and pulled her down like a Palalukan does to his prey. We rolled over and over until she was on top of me, laughing and pulling leaves and dirt out of my hair. I rose to my feet and helped her up, playing with her hair and brushing dirt off of her face then kissed her. She was eager to deepen it and I had her back against the trunk of a tree before I slightly pulled back to gaze into her beautiful eyes but they contracted into pinpoints before she drew her knife and kicked me to the ground. She used her weight to push the knife closer to my throat while her pupils dilated and contracted repeatedly. I thought back to where she did the same with Mother; maybe something I did something to trigger her to try to kill me. I remembered how she thought she was somewhere else too, like the normal world retracted from the forefronts of her mind.

"Saniya! Saniya! Listen to me! It's not real. Whatever you see isn't real" I begged but it helped none as she shouted, "I'll kill you like I killed Elsu!"

I finally punched her to throw her off of me and pinned her to the tree and she screamed frantically, "No! Ralu help! Ralu help! Don't tie me up! Please don't!"

"It's me Saniya. I'm Ralu" I said calmly while she struggled to get out of my grip until she looked me straight in the eye and growled, "Tee'tan"

Her constricted pupils relaxed as she stared at me then asked, "Did I do it again?"

"Do what?" I asked.

"They tried to tie me to the tree again, Ralu. You didn't see them?" she replied. Her lip began to quiver and I brought her close as she cried while I soothed her.

"What do you need me to do?" I asked softly and wiped tears from her wet cheeks. She huddled under me and whispered, "Just don't leave me"

"I won't" I soothed and kissed her forehead gently, "I got you"

…

I was first to wake. The night's events after Saniya's breakdown were hard to remember for whatever reason, but I was naked and my queue was still connected with Saniya's. She was naked also, facing away from me but she was huddled next to me still asleep. I took a moment to see any parts of her body I could've missed in the dark; she was indeed beautiful. My wakefulness must've have alerted her due to our queue were still connected and Saniya reached back for my hand and I grabbed hers while she turned over to look at me then say quietly, "Good morning"

"Morning, love" I replied then tried to steal a look at her entire body, but of course Saniya caught me.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that" I apologized sheepishly.

"No, it's okay. You're my mate; you have the right to me when I let you" she said then gave a small nod of approval. I looked, and, I definitely liked all that I saw. I never had thought of me doing such a thing to a woman but at the moment it was definitely worth it.

"You haven't slept" she piped up after she seemed like she had studied me for a long time.

"Of course I didn't. I don't sleep much anymore" I replied, trying not to think of Saniya covered in blood when she was tied to the tree.

"Why is that?" she asked.

"I have nightmares about you dying by my own hand, or me trying to get to you when you were tied to the tree, and every now and then I dreamed of our children being enslaved" I answered.

"How often?" she asked again.

"Almost every night" I replied. "But don't worry; they only scare me until I wake up"

"I have nightmares too" she said. "About the 'Angtsik and my Father"

"Is that why you kind of relive certain situations?" I asked.

"I guess so. I remember you pressing me against the tree using your hands. That's how the warriors did it" she answered.

"How often of your nightmares?" I asked with concern.

"Every night" she said solemnly. I stared at her for a minute. I wouldn't have known how scarred she was from what Tee'tan has done to her by taking her away from me. I could protect her from many things, but not her own mind.

"Enough of nightmares, we need to get dressed so we can go catch breakfast" I said to interrupt the serious mood that had blanketed us. Saniya smiled and kissed me before getting up and swaying her hips a little more than normal with a slight smile to me as she left to dress.

**An: Well, a little happiness for everyone and a little relief for Sana eh? Ralu and Saniya are happy but good times can last only a little bit. Thanks to all my readers for taking your precious time to read what I love to write about and any Hunger Games fans I might be writing one coming soon! (That's if I can make a decent plot) So have a great day everyone and I will post the next chapter soon!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10- Is Patience a Virtue?

An 'Angtsik scout looked down upon the Omacticaya couple with disgust, but he had to watch them so they wouldn't wander into their territory since they were dangerously close. The Omacticaya princess left to go to a nearby pond to wash and dress while the prince dressed himself then walked towards the scouts' hideout in the bushes.

"Saniya?" the prince called, but the scout stayed motionless in the bushes, barely letting his exhale escape his lips. The prince was right in front of the bushes and about to peer into them when the scout ordered, "Stop!"

The prince jumped back and drew his knife as the scout rose out of his cover with his bow drawn and aimed at the prince's throat.

"'Angtsik" The prince growled.

"Omacticaya" The scout replied.

"You come here to kill both of us?" The prince asked.

"No, not that I won't, but I came here by orders to watch you two" The scout answered.

"For what?" The prince asked.

"That's confidential" the scout said firmly. The princess came from behind the scout and put her knife to his throat.

"Drop your bow" she ordered. The scout dropped his bow and his quiver on the ground before reassuring, "Your mate and I were just getting to know each other"

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"Let the men talk, sweetheart" The scouted chuckled.

"Watch your mouth or I'll be the one to kill you" The prince warned. The scout laughed before he replied, "If you kill me, when the Olo'eyktan realizes I'm not there to report to him he'll know you two killed me; resulting in your clan's ultimate death"

"He's right Ralu" The princess agreed and pulled her knife away from the scouts' throat

"Fine then. We'll go one direction and you'll go the other; no confrontations. Got it?" The prince ordered. Everyone agreed and soon the couple was on their way back to their families while the scout made his way to Filt'naw and told him everything.

"What will we do, Filt'naw?" the scout asked.

"They have Tee'tan, Ateyo, Sana, and my love, Key'lan. We've got all the reason to come to them, which is what they want, but we need to come up with something that will give them a reason to attack us first" Filt'naw replied.

"Like what?" the scout asked.

"A hostage would be a classic thing to do, but there are other ways to draw them here. Maybe we should declare peace, then invite the leaders over to a banquet then execute them all. No, that wouldn't be lavish enough. Maybe we can go to them and enslave them, force our will over theirs and be a strong and wonderful clan serviced by the Omacticaya…perfect" Filt'naw thought out loud.

"Do we even have the man power?" the scout asked again.

"With Tee'tan's clans and our village, we're unstoppable" Filt'naw stated proudly. "Send your fastest messengers to the rest of the 'Angtsik and ask for their help in the war. I will declare war on the Omacticaya"

The scout nodded and rounded up his fellow scouts and converged towards the Omacticaya to bring news.

…

The cheers from the clan as we arrived on Ralu's ikran was deafening while Mother and Leena were the first to run up and hug both me and Ralu before leading us to the center hearth where Neytiri and Jake gave us our blessing for a long life and great times to seek within each other. The abundant energy, food, dancing and excitement was overwhelming but was welcomed to my eyes as I was glad to see my clan finally have something to rejoice about and news eventually reached me that Key'lan had given birth to her son. I almost had to drag Ralu up to the private alcove Key'lan and her son, Machus, reside in awake.

"Adorable, isn't he?" Key'lan cooed as I sat next to her and was the first (not counting the healer and Key'lan herself) to lay eyes on Machus.

"Very much so. He takes after you" I replied before she let me hold him in my arms.

"Saniya this could be us in less than a year" Ralu said, pointing to me holding the child in my arms.

"Not so soon, Ralu. We just mated" I soothed. I didn't want to think about having children yet. Sylwannin appeared out of thin air and said quickly, "Saniya dress in less provocative clothes and both of you come with me"

I gently laid Machus back into his mother's arms before going to my Mother's alcove to dress then quickly went down with Sylwannin and Ralu to find Filt'naw standing there, arms folded impatiently.

"Well, we meet again" he greeted cockily. Ralu growled under his breath and stood his 'I can kill you with my confidence' stance before I replied, "Hopefully no deaths occur this time"

"None shall. How is Key'lan? I miss her dearly" he said casually. I hissed in disgust then answered, "Nursing your son."

The shock his face took a moment to register before he asked, "M-my…son?"

"Yes yours" I spat. Ralu elbowed me then gave me a look that said, 'Don't be too harsh' then said, "If you want to see him, I will ask if she will let you"

Filt'naw looked at Ralu then asked, "Are you sure it's mine?"

"She isn't mated" Ralu confirmed then waved him over as he started walking up the staircase with me and Sylwannin following behind with our bows loaded with arrows in case Filt'naw wanted to start something.

"Key'lan?" Ralu asked gently.

"Yes Ralu?" she answered happily as Machus' cries emanated from the alcove.

"I have someone here who wants to see you. I don't know if you want to see him or not" Ralu said uneasily.

"Is it Filt'naw" Key'lan said flatly.

"Yes" Ralu answered. There was a silence before Key'lan finally said, "He can come in but only if Saniya does too"

I put my arrow back in its quiver and my bow over my shoulder but kept my knife drawn as I watched Filt'naw walk inside to see his son for the first time. I crouched in the corner nearest to Key'lan as she just about burned a hole through him as he finally spoke, "So, he is my son"

Key'lan nodded then said, "His name is Machus"

Filt'naw smiled a little bit before he replied, "A strong warrior name. May I hold him?"

Key'lan shot me a look saying, 'relax' before he handed the child to him and watched him cuddle with him. The baby giggled slightly as Filt'naw tickled him and typical baby stuff.

"He's gotten most of your looks, Key'lan" Filt'naw said as he handed Machus back to Key'lan.

"Thanks Filt'naw" Key'lan said.

"You know I'm sorry for what I've done to you-"

"I'm done with it Filt'naw I've already forgiven you" Key'lan snapped.

"You don't understand"

"What do you mean I don't understand? You raped me Filt'naw and I'm the one who has to face the consequences!" Key'lan snarled angrily.

"I didn't do it for myself" Filt'naw said calmly.

"What are you talking about" Key'lan asked cautiously.

"I had feelings for you, Key'lan, and my father thought I just wanted you there to satisfy my manly urges, so he would tease me that I haven't been with a woman, which is needed for me to be considered a man. He said he would know if I had been with you or not, so there was no way I could avoid it" Filt'naw explained.

Key'lan's silence was uneasy until she snapped, "Get out"

Filt'naw didn't budge.

"Filt'naw go" I said, slightly pushing him to get him moving.

"The right thing to do, Saniya, is to convince your friend" Filt'naw said tersely.

"The right thing is to not stress her and obey her will" I retorted. Filt'naw still stayed where he was.

"Filt'naw this is your last chance" I warned, slowly going into a stance where I could easily force him out of the alcove. Suddenly a knife was touching my throat and I looked up to see the same scout that was stalking me and Ralu earlier.

"You didn't tell us you brought your friends" I muttered as I dropped my knife to the floor.

"Filt'naw! Don't do this!" Key'lan gasped in fear as she huddled away from him holding Machus close to her chest.

"I must earn your apology, Key'lan" Filt'naw said softly. The scout held a firm grip on me and his knife was only millimeters from my instant death.

"Does it have to be with me at knife point?" I asked. Filt'naw turned and kicked me to the ground and furiously beat me until Key'lan's angered voice forced him to stop, though I was already seeing stars. He held me by the necklaces that kept my neck covered mostly as Key'lan snapped, "Let her go"

"Just because you are not under my control does not mean you can control me" Filt'naw said in a very intimidating snarl. Key'lan gave up then mouthed to me, "Good luck"

Filt'naw turned and pounded his fist into my face several more times until he was satisfied with me too stunned to get back up.

"Do you yield?" he asked. I spat at him then reached for my knife but he drew his and forced it into my gut. I growled at him as he shoved it deeper until I felt the tip about to go through my back. He took his knife out before he said, "You will be my personal doll when I kill all of your people"

Blood started to fill my mouth and the wound to my stomach was pulsing in almost unbearable pain as I snapped, "Even if I die, you will surely die by an Omacticaya hand"

He chuckled then rose to leave with the scout before Key'lan said, "Saniya please tell me you're alive"

"I'm still breathing, aren't I?" I snapped as I struggled to gain my footing, knowing I've already lost a lot of blood and things were starting to blur. I stumbled down the steps using my left hand to hold my guts in and the other to keep me steady. Filt'naw and the scout were gone when I arrived on the ground floor, but Neytiri and Jake were left with Ralu somewhere lost in the mass of people as I cried weakly, "Neytiri! Help me"

I momentarily fell to my knees but got back up and stumbled into Neytiri's arms then we both quickly made our way into a large hut that seemed to be swirling around in circles with Maxpatel quickly starting to dress my wound.

"What happened to her?" Maxpatel asked.

"I don't know I heard her call me and I saw her bleeding" Neytiri explained as Jake had run off to get my Mother and Leena. I was barely aware of Maxpatel trying his best to close the wound and stop the bleeding but seeing Leena burst in with tears flowing down her face brought me back to my senses some.

"Saniya I don't want you to die! Please, stay here with me and Sa'nu please!" she begged, holding my hand close to her as things really started to fade and I could faintly hear Maxpatel saying, "No, no, no! Damnit! I'm losing her!"

The last thing I remember is Leena pounding my chest and screaming my name.

…

"She still has a pulse guys back up I need to get her stable" Max ordered firmly as Ralu was one of the last to come in and couldn't stay in the large hut for fear he would strike someone in his blind fury. Max worked hard to finally get Saniya stabilized and had to force many of the people who were originally in the room when Saniya 'died' to enable himself to be able to quickly go back and forth between his patient and his medicine shelf. After about two hours of intense work, Saniya was still out but at least stable with a steady pulse. Max appeared at the entrance of the hut where almost the entire clan was either bawling their eyes out since they still thought their Omacticaya princess was dead or they held their breath for what Max was about to say.

"She's stable and fine…she will probably wake late tonight or early morning" Max said calmly to Neytiri.

"Please, Maxpatel. Let me see my sister" Leena begged since she was sniffling from the scare but still wanted to lay her own eyes on her to make sure she was okay.

"Of course but you can't touch her. She's still pretty fragile" Max warned as he lead Leena inside where Saniya was trying to come around.

"She's waking up" Leena said softly. Saniya grunted as if in attempt to talk, but her dry mouth didn't permit her to do much. She opened her eyes and settled them on Leena then whispered weakly, "I'm sorry"

"Saniya, relax and don't try to move too much. Your wound hasn't set yet" Max instructed softly. Saniya turned her head in his direction and said nothing but only looked around as if for a way out before falling back into a drug-induced sleep.

…

It was several days before Saniya could even speak or sit up fully on her own. Filt'naw had declared war on us and there was no way he would win after what he had done to my love; he nearly killed her. I spent almost all of my time with her, usually feeding her and helping her change clothes, things she could've easily done herself yesterday.

"Has he declared war?" Saniya asked while I was mashing soft fruits so it wouldn't be too hard for her to chew.

"Yes. He says they will talk peace only if his son will live with the 'Angtsik but unless Key'lan wants to make such a sacrifice, then we'll have to fight him" I explained then gave a spoonful of fruit to her. Her face formed a scowl as she lightly chewed the crushed fruit then replied, "I want to have the honor of killing him. He has brought about so much misfortune for me and the ones I love"

She reached up to grab the spoon I fed her with but pulled it back with a sharp intake of air as she held her now healing wound.

"There's gotta be a way I can heal faster. I can't just sit aside for this war" she grimaced.

"I'll talk to Maxpatel. I'm sure he can find a way" I said then continued feeding her then watched her after she fell asleep.

…

Tee'tan was on the brink of death. Saniya and Ralu had forgotten that they had left him up there and no one he called to was brave enough to let him go. Not that he wanted to be free, or at least not anymore. Saniya had murdered his one and only love, and of course she was going to pay for everything she did to him and Sana.

"Tee'tan?" a voice said softly, as if afraid to bother him.

"What! What can you possibly do to me? How can you bring me any lower than I already am!" Tee'tan snapped. He looked up to see Sana standing in front of him, no sign of hurt or anything on her.

"They faked it" Sana explained.

"Untie me please" Tee'tan begged.

"I don't think I can. No one knows I'm even up here" Sana said.

"I do" Ralu cut in.

"What do you want, Ralu" Tee'tan growled.

"Look, I'm sorry for how we have treated you but we couldn't take any chances with you" Ralu replied.

"Why do you come to me now?" Tee'tan asked.

"Because I need your help" Ralu answered.

"For what?" Tee'tan replied.

"I need your help to heal Saniya" Ralu said.

"What happened to her?" Tee'tan asked.

"She was stabbed by Filt'naw and she is healing too slowly" Ralu answered.

"Filt'naw has declared war" Tee'tan said. "Why do you want my help?"

"Because I hear you know a lot about healing techniques" Ralu explained.

"You are right, but you will have to go to the 'Angtsik to get the supplies needed" Tee'tan replied.

"I will be killed or captured the second I step foot in their territory" Ralu retorted then started to realize Tee'tan's argument.

"You have to let me go there to do it" Tee'tan teased.

"Deal as long as you hold up your end. I will let you free but you must heal Saniya and if you don't or if you poison her I will have you and Sana executed immediately" Ralu said firmly then rose to go back to down to Saniya to check on her as he constantly worried for his mate regardless of what condition she was in. Sana left shortly after then Tee'tan was left to himself, thinking very evil thoughts on how he was to trick Ralu and not kill Saniya, but just be able to get to the village so he can inform the Omacticaya are at their weakest so they could strike a deadly blow.

**AN: Well, a twist in the plot maybe? The actually seize of the Omacticaya will definitely turn up in one of the next two xhapters. It depends on how long it takes for me to write a few other things and I usually don't go over 3 thousand words so it depends. Guys PLEASE go to my profile and vote for my Here I am story at this point I really don't care if you read or not just vote please and also I'm going to have another poll up to see who Sana will be with, Ateyo or Tee'tan? So thanks everyone to reading my story and please to remember to vote, vote, and please review. Those things will help me greatly.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11- Deceived

Tee'tan rode happily alongside Ralu on their way to the 'Angtsik to get the supplies needed to help Saniya heal. Ralu was cautious and watched Tee'tan with ultimate suspicion they both came upon Saniya's cave.

"I will wait here. You return here when you have gathered everything necessary" Ralu ordered stiffly. Tee'tan nodded and rose off at a gallop to close the mile gap between him and his kin. Filt'naw was the first to meet Tee'tan as he left his Pa'li towards the forest then hugged Filt'naw and said, "It's been a long time since I have been here"

"Too long indeed. Why weren't you able to meet me?" Filt'naw asked.

"I was caught by scouts and tortured at Saniya's hands. They didn't get much out of me until you nearly killed Saniya" Tee'tan joked and gave his friend a playful nudge to his shoulder.

"I almost killed her?"

"Ralu was begging me for help since I know some ways to heal and their healers were too slow to help her gain her strength"

"You should poison her; get it over with"

"No, that would anger them. I want to have the honor of slowly tearing her apart; piece by piece until she's dead"

"How did you escape from them?"

"I didn't; Ralu let me go only if I bring back the herbs I needed to heal Saniya, if I betray him he will kill me and Sana"

"Well I suppose seeing his love like that will make a man do crazy things"

Tee'tan nodded in agreement then quietly asked a healer to gather all he needed then said to Filt'naw, "I must be going soon, Ralu will be angry if I take too long"

"Alright. Expect our war parties to advance into their grounds in about a week, maybe less, depending on whenever your clan gets here"

Tee'tan clasped Filt'naw shoulder and nodded before finding the healer and picking everything he needed then loaded it all on his Pa'li before taking to a hasty gallop back to Ralu.

…

"Saniya, you're looking better today" Maxpatel said softly as he gently shook me to wake me from my slumber.

"I don't feel like it" I grumbled, still feeling a throbbing pain in my gut with every move I made.

"Ralu's gone to gather some herbs for me to help you get better" he said then mashed some more soft fruits and fed them to me slowly since I could barely eat any food without throwing up which was extremely painful.

"With who?" I asked then opened my mouth to invite another spoonful. He faltered slightly then gave me another spoonful of food then said, "He went with Tee'tan"

"What!" I snapped, regretting the sudden exclaim after the sharp stab of pain in my stomach.

"He went with him to the 'Angtsik so he could help you" Maxpatel explained.

"Why" I growled.

"I don't know, he just said he had to go" he replied. He had another spoonful ready but I wasn't hungry much, so I burned in a betrayal and anger to wait for Ralu's return so he could answer all of my dying questions.

…

I immediately had Tee'tan tied back up in the torture room since I couldn't trust what he had said and done the minutes he was gone but Saniya was also in a foul mood probably fueled by finding me with Tee'tan so far from her or something like that.

"Where have you been, Ralu" Saniya snapped angrily.

"I'm sorry I haven't been here" I said softly.

"I want to know where you've been with Tee'tan" she growled in a 'you're in deep shit' tone.

"I went with him to get supplies he needed to heal you" I answered. She growled and turned away then started fiddling with some thread used to reseal her wound when she was asleep.

"I had to do it was my only choice" I begged, but she didn't hear it.

"Go check on Key'lan for me please" she snapped. I sighed but didn't move and just sat next to her, making her even angrier as I explained, "He knows some healing techniques that can help you heal better"

"He isn't touching me" she spat and refused to kiss me when I tried.

"Why are you mad?" I asked.

"You left with Tee'tan to go to the 'Angtsik. You could've been walking right into a trap or he could've killed you since you were by yourself. If you were going to go you should've taken someone with you" she explained angrily.

"You know I did it for you" I replied.

"The last time you did something for me you ended up dead and I don't want to go through it again and this time know you aren't coming back" she snapped then made Maxpatel force me out of the hut. I came back in only to have Max try to push me out again but I punched him hard enough he would be knocked out for a few hours.

"Listen, I am at fault for letting you get stabbed like this. I should've stayed nearby in case there was trouble but I didn't and look what I've done. You're pretty much crippled, Saniya, you can't even feed yourself and it's all my fault" I apologized. She was silent but matched my furious glare towards her with a wrathful one of her own until Mother walked in and said, "I think I have found a way to help Saniya heal. What happened to Maxpatel?"

"I punched him" I answered "He'll be fine. How will you heal Saniya?"

"Come with me" she said and left. I helped to Saniya to her feet only to have her grunt in excruciating pain so I carried her and tried my best to soothe her groans of pain as Mother led us somewhere deep in the bowels of Kelutral.

"Only the clan's Tsahik have been here. Others that have been down here for any reason were here for very extreme meditation or desperation for the clan's safety" Mother said as we travelled down small alleyways that made it difficult for me to squeeze both me and Saniya through without causing discomfort for both. The dimly lit area was encasing a strange glowing thing I couldn't quite identify.

"What is it?" Saniya asked. It was held in the air by glowing roots that covered almost every point of the small rounded room.

"It is a seed of Eywa from the Tree of Souls" Mother answered. There was a hammock that was tied right next to the seed; I suppose it was there for when Tsahiks were here for extended periods of time.

"Lay her in the hammock" Mother instructed. I laid Saniya in the hammock and waited for her to get comfortable before I went back to Mother and asked, "What is going to happen?"

"It will be the most pain you two will ever experience" she answered softly.

"Us two?" Saniya questioned.

"If you do it by yourself it will kill you. No Na'vi can withstand the full power of Eywa without dying; it's just impossible" Mother explained.

"How will I be able to share the pain with her?" I ask. Mother smiled sweetly and replied, "The same way you shared your love for the other"

I pulled my braid from behind my back then looked at Saniya, who was struggling to reach hers.

"Let's just get this over with" she said then held my hand tightly; I could feel her tough façade breaking underneath the nervousness. We connected queues then waited as Mother started chanting; softly at first, then it got louder and louder as spindles from the side of the seed started wrapping around Saniya's body. She hardly breathed while the spindles finally almost completely covered her torso then found their way to our queues and then dug deeply into them, sending a pain through both of us that just about made me pass out. Saniya was losing her mind in the hammock, and I was barely clinging to consciousness while Mother was lost in her trance, only our screams and her shouts occupied the space until the room went dark, the pain stopped, and the chants ended. A soft glow from Saniya's body was the only thing as she lay there, convulsing and whimpering, but I didn't want to touch her unless Mother told me to do so.

"What's happening to her?" I asked.

"I think she's speaking with Eywa" she answered. Suddenly she stopped shaking then slipped out of the hammock into my arms.

"Saniya" I said softly. She mumbled something but didn't move from her limp position in my lap.

"Come on say something" I begged, my heart racing from fear something had gone horribly wrong but she twitched slightly then said, "Something"

"Oh thank Eywa you're alright" I sighed in relief. She stood on her feet and ran around the room in circles before shouting in glee.

"I can kick some 'Angtsik butt now" she said childishly before running into my arms and giving me a kiss.

"We have a little while before then, don't we? They won't attack for possibly another few weeks or so" I joked and hugged Saniya closely before Mother said, "You two might want to go check on Maxpatel"

We obeyed and went back to Max to see him still out cold on the ground where we left him.

"You're so violent, Ralu" Saniya chided as she helped me pull Max over to a wall he could sit up against since he was probably going to wake soon.

"It was a crime of passion" I shot back, earning a pleasant chuckle from both of us.

"Should we stay with him?" she asked.

"Nah, he can care for himself and if not I'm sure he will easily find a helper if not his mate comes to find him knocked out" I replied before cracking a couple of jokes about his mate, Tanye, but Saniya's face was void of humor then an icy voice snapped, "I'm assuming you're talking about me"

I whirled around to see Tanye herself, standing tall and ready fight as any warrior would be if insulted by another.

"I wasn't talking about you, Tanye. You are my teacher, I would never disrespect you" I lied nervously but as usual she could see right through me. Saniya quickly got out of the room, her signal that I was on my own.

"Now anything else you have to say about me?" she asked angrily.

"You're…beautiful?" I suggested before she immediately started beating me with a stick and chased me and Saniya well into the woods before she gave us our beating.

"That should teach you to respect me" she growled then disappeared in the foliage.

"Never…do that again" Saniya panted as we were both trying to gain our breath back from sprinting for so long.

"Sorry" I replied then took a moment to gather my bearings. We were way past the cave but nowhere near the village, only a dense forest that hadn't been untouched by Na'vi hand.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"I don't know" Saniya replied.

"Great" I muttered then started climbing a nearby tree.

"What are you doing?" Saniya called from below. I looked over the tree line to see what direction Kelutral was in but it was nowhere in sight.

"Saniya which direction did Tanye chase us towards?" I asked.

"The East I think, but I don't clearly remember, why?" she answered.

"Cause I don't see Kelutral from here" I replied then started my way down. Neither of us had our bows, only our knives, so that proved we needed to get back as soon as possible to guarantee our safety and health. Something caught Saniya's ear and she was quietly stalking around, her knife drawn and steady until some woman came out of nowhere and leaped onto Saniya's back. I pulled the woman off of her before she hurt Saniya and asked, "Who are you?"

"Drop your knives, Omacticaya" a male voice said from behind. The woman smirked as I let her get away while the male held Saniya by her queue with her hands tied behind her back.

"Should we kill them now, or let Filt'naw see them?" the woman asked, letting her fingers go down my jawline. I lunged at her, making her jump back in fear but her male counterpart is only what kept me from going any farther.

"We could make good money off of them; sell them to the highest bidder in the market. He will be good for many things and the woman is only good for one" he said with a chuckle, making Saniya hiss warningly at him. I knew they were 'Angtsik, there was no mistaking that, but them seemed different; money? I had never heard of that kind of trade and they were going to sell us? I obviously knew what Saniya was going to be sold as but what would I do? Saniya was pale in the face as we got closer to the 'Angtsik village, I'm sure she had bad memories here and she has to relive them with me; at least I'll know the true reasoning behind her mental breakdowns. We filed into a line of other prisoners, all from different clans but of course they recognized me; when I was born almost all of the Omacticaya's sister clans visited to see the next Olo'eyktan.

"Ralu, why are they calling your name?" Saniya asked.

"It's because they know who I am" I replied. The line shifted and we could see the crowds of people waving their hands in the air, throwing claims at certain men and women.

"Ralu, will you help us?" a prisoner asked.

"I don't know if I can, I just know I'm not staying here for long" I replied. The prisoner was next and she was stripped completely naked and the man who was selling the prisoners stated, "Who would like to have this beauty at twenty dollars?"

The place was a madhouse as the buyers frantically tried to come up with the things needed to purchase the woman; I wonder what they would think when two Omacticaya are sold. Once the woman was safely taken to her new owner I was shoved up onto the stage as all others were and the place went dead silent. The seller didn't seem to mind it and asked, "An Omacticaya…he's strong, well fed and seems to be good for the women if they need it. Enter him in the ring and I can guarantee he'll never lose. Start at 150"

"Is that another Omacticaya up next?" a buyer asked. They pushed Saniya up onto the stage then crowd gasped and quickly started putting bids on Saniya.

"Wait! I'll give them both to you for a good 500 dollars" the seller announced. The both of us were bought quickly, by some young woman who clearly had her sights set on me and made it clear she strongly disliked Saniya. She tied our wrists to the back of her Pa'li as she led it back to her hut towards the center of the village where she left us in her elaborate hut while she went to go get supplies to feed us and such.

"They will never find us here" Saniya piped up.

"Who?" I asked.

"Our family. I heard stories of stuff like this happening but I didn't know they did it here" she answered.

"What do you mean?" I asked again.

"The humans introduced a slave trade concept to other clans and they took the bait. Now if they trade for fighters, sex slaves, whatever they want. Once you're in the trade, I hear you never come back until you're dead" she explained.

"Don't think like that I'm not gonna let you have to go through this. We're getting out of here with the other prisoners" I reassured but her face showed absolutely no hope in anything. The woman came back in with a male and he separated us then said to the woman, "This was a good buy"

"I bought her for you" he woman said with a hint of teasing in her voice. I hissed at her and the man knocked me to the floor.

"You watch your mouth and know you aren't allowed to talk back anymore. Got it?" he snapped. I nodded before I helped myself up and stood by Saniya and just listening to them talk. Nightfall came quickly and Saniya was fast asleep, but I was far too paranoid of the male to sleep for long.

"Omacticaya" the woman's voice said softly, "Why aren't you asleep?"

"I'm not used to the place yet I suppose" I replied, trying to keep the tough façade I've been dubbed with towards her. Her tail flicked at the air with some sort of anticipation as she asked, "What are your names?"

"I am Ralu and she is Saniya" I answered, "Yours?"

"Acira" she replied with a smile.

"Beautiful name" I said. "Why did you buy us?"

"I bought Saniya for my mate, Malay, and I bought you to protect me" she answered.

"Why protect you?" I asked. Acira looked over her shoulder to make sure Malay was asleep then said, "He hits me"

"Any reason why?" I asked again. I noticed her trembling and grabbed her hand to pull her away from him then she said, "I don't know why, he just does if I do something wrong"

"I'll protect you if you want me to" I said softly. She planted a soft kiss on my cheek then had her arms around my neck and I had to remind myself I couldn't object to her requests if she took things too far.

"I'm so scared he's going to kill me" she whispered in my ear.

"What do you want me to do about it?" I asked. She ran her finger over scars I had gotten roughhousing with Saniya or battles with other warriors then said, "Just don't let him hurt me"

Eventually she fell asleep in my arms; I let her have the other hammock and I sat on the floor, still too paranoid of Malay to do anything now that I had two people to protect from him.

…

"We've got them Filt'naw" Tanye said, "The plan worked perfectly"

Filt'naw turned to Tanye then replied, "I'm glad. I will find them in the morning. Now go on, before they start to worry about you"

Tanye smiled and nodded accordingly before leaving to go back to her clan but hesitated then asked, "Key'lan…do you really have feelings for her?"

"Yes, I really her to convert over like you did…it will be a bloody war but I promise to minimize casualties when we seize them" he replied. She nodded then continued her way back to her fellow clanmates.

**An: That was intense. I guess Saniya and Ralu are in some deep boo boo aren't they? Well guys pretty please vote so I can make a final decision! And PLEASE review my stories it really helps me stay on track and just be honest with me no sugarcoating it just be straight up with me on what I need to work on in later chapters. Thanks **


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12- A Full Circle…

Sana was unable to sleep peacefully without waking at the thought of Tee'tan, who was still up in the torture room where he had been for so long now without anyone to speak to him. She lay in her own hammock, staring in the distance debating whether to get up and go check on him; the worst that could happen is she would wake someone and they would tell her to go back to sleep. She could only hope no one was standing guard as she took her knife in case Saniya accused her as a traitor and went crazy over her (Saniya's threat still bothered her considerably) when she was only wishing for the best for Tee'tan. She tiptoed her way up the levels of Kelutral without waking a soul and gently peered inside of the room to see Tee'tan awake and thin as ever.

"Tee'tan! Are you alright?" she gasped and used her knife to cut away at the rope ties that kept him bound. Tee'tan looked over at Sana and said, "It's only a matter of time before the Omacticaya meet their fate. Let me die"

"No Tee'tan they are not worth dying over" Sana replied and dipped her hand in a bucket of water then brought it to his lips and let him sip from her hands before helping him to his feet.

"You can't hide me in your alcove" Tee'tan said weakly as Sana led him down to her residential level.

"You will sleep here tonight and I will take you to the 'Angtsik early in the morning" Sana said as she helped him into her hammock then brushed his ragged hair out of the way of his face before Tee'tan asked, "Why are you helping me"

"I don't want them to kill you" she replied then gave Tee'tan a small kiss on the cheek before lying against the wall of the alcove and going to sleep.

"Sana?" Tee'tan said softly to wake her.

"Yes?" Sana asked.

"I'm sorry for what's about to happen in the next few days" Tee'tan said.

"What are you talking about" Sana asked suspiciously.

"The 'Angtsik are going to seize the Omacticaya" he answered.

"What? When?" Sana asked.

"Sometime in the next few days. Tell no one; they don't want to kill anyone yet" Tee'tan explained.

"I have to go tell Saniya and Ralu" Sana said as she got up but faltered when she thought of where they were. No one had seen them for a few days now and Saniya's mother didn't seem to think they were just out and about like they usually were since Saniya always told someone.

"Did they-"

"Yes" Tee'tan answered. Sana sat back in dismay; all of this has transpired right underneath the Omacticaya's nose?

"If they fight they will execute Saniya and Ralu immediately" Tee'tan warned.

"So you want me to let them take over the Omacticaya?" Sana asked.

"Yes. It will save lives for an uprising; it's the way history goes, nobody can forcefully rule over someone else forever" Tee'tan replied.

"Whose side are you on?" Sana asked.

"Whose side are you on" Tee'tan snapped. Sana was quiet then replied softly, "I don't know"

"You helped screw up my original plan and got me thrown into torture then come back to save me at the same time in love with Ateyo" Tee'tan snarled.

"I wanted to do what was right but it hurt so much to see you suffer" Sana replied quietly. Tee'tan turned his back to her with a small growl then lay in the hammock and tried his best to find sleep.

…

"Ralu! Get up! He's going to hurt me!" a feminine voice screamed, waking me just enough before Acira was thrown onto me by Malay. She clung to me as I found Saniya asleep in his hammock then rage overtook me; I shoved him to the floor and pounded his face in until Acira was beating on my back and screaming for me to stop.

"Why! You let him-"

"He did nothing to her Ralu!" she snapped.

"What is she doing in his hammock?" I practically shouted, not caring who saw me fight my owner. Acira grasped my hand before I snatched it away angrily as she answered softly, "She is his now"

"No! She is my woman, not his!" I yelled. She grabbed my arm and calmed me until I was at the point where I could control myself but Malay was content knowing I didn't like his authority over me with Saniya, who managed to sleep through everything that had transpired.

"You won't see her that much anymore" Acira said quietly after Malay had cut off our view into the room where Saniya was.

"I won't let him hurt her" I replied. She rested her hand on my cheek, the move making me have to face her and I was greeted with a kiss. The bold combo of moves left me astounded at her audacity but also enticed me for more. I kissed her again, this time not holding back on much until I felt the pang of guilt at the thought of Saniya, forcing me to pull back from Acira.

"You stopped" she said, "Why?"

"I can't do this to Saniya" I answered. She trailed her finger down my torso but I caught her hand as she whispered in my ear, "She won't know; it'll be our little secret"

She slowly pulled me back to her with seductive kisses before I finally said, "Only this one time"

Acira gave a teasing giggle then led me into a separate room where no one would find or see us and pushed me down onto her one of the hammocks in the room. Her alluring whispers encouraged me to fulfill her every request to my best ability though I clearly knew every second I spent kissing and pleasing this woman would make it harder for Saniya to forgive me.

It was the middle of the night when I next woke and I could hear Saniya's pleading; muffled but audible. I started to climb out of the hammock but Acira's arms pulled me back to her as she said, "Don't"

"Why not?" I asked impatiently. Her eyes burned into mine with a firm stare as she answered, "He'll have you executed or thrown in with the gladiators"

I pushed myself past her and muttered, "I'll take my chances"

Malay was tearing Saniya's clothes off when I burst into his room and slammed him onto the ground, pinning him so Saniya would have time to get away. Malay finally wiggled his way out from under to me then called his servants who pinned me and tied a rope around my neck and tied my wrists before some guy came in with a whip and talked with Malay for a while before he said, "I'll make him a gladiator"

Both Saniya's and Acira's cries of sorrow where heard as Malay's servants hauled me towards a ring made out of stone that clearly was the epicenter of the village and I was taken underground to a dim lit space where several men stayed in cells made from strong wood that was very hard to cut it any sort of way and I was shoved into one with three other men who seemed more than ready to kill me. The biggest one stood from his seat and growled, "Omacticaya"

The other two echoed his words then used a knife to cut me free of the rope.

"My name is Taj; this is Palash, and that's Cyril" Taj greeted and helped me to my feet.

"You're the next heir of the Omacticaya, I hear" Palash said as he picked food from his teeth with a sharp bone.

"You heard right" I replied.

"Then what are you doing here? You should be back at home killing 'Angtsik!" Palash laughed.

"What?" I asked. Cyril muttered something to Taj then Taj answered, "They are seizing the Omacticaya at nightfall"

Boy, did I have bad luck.

"Who's in charge of this place?" I asked them. Cyril pointed to a heavily decorated guard that was currently making fun of some other prisoners.

"Hey! You!" I shouted, catching his attention like I wanted to.

"What?" he snapped.

"What will it take to fight for my freedom?" I asked. The guard laughed, laughed until his was purple in the face then replied, "You will never be able to fight for your freedom. Your freedom is your death"

"Make a challenge that all gladiators must participate in; if you are undefeated, then you earn your freedom and are relinquished of your bondage to the 'Angtsik" I suggested and the idea seemed to catch his eye.

"I'll speak with the gamesmen" he said then left.

"Thank Eywa" I whispered before Taj grabbed my arm and slung me around.

"What are you thinking!" he demanded.

"I'm trying to earn my freedom! Whatever it takes!" I snarled back. Taj growled then sat back in his seat then muttered, "Fine; I knew I wasn't going to get out of here alive"

…

Filt'naw waited silently with his fellow 'Angtsik while they waited for his signal to move in on the Omacticaya's Kelutral. Sana was on her Pa'li racing Tee'tan back to his village when she raced past Filt'naw, sparking his curiosity before he gave the signal to move in. Many 'Angtsik started their way into Kelutral where Neytiri lie awake, not able to sleep from her worry over her son and daughter-in-law. She sat upright when she heard the whispers and cautiously looked down to see who was there and found many 'Angtsik stalking through the shadows. She ran across the opening that usually allowed her to oversee her clan but now was absent cover from a flying arrow that found its mark in her thigh. She was still ten feet from the horn that would alert the entire clan when they pinned her and captured Jake as well. 'Angtsik warriors eventually woke the entire clan and forced them down to the ground level where Filt'naw stood where all could see him as he boomed, "All Omacticaya, we have been merciful to you in not killing every single one of you tonight, so you must return the favor; you are now under the rule of the 'Angtsik"

Screams of defiance rose and clashed with shouts of victory, ultimately formulating a nasty beat down on the residents turn slaves that spoke out against Filt'naw. Neytiri watched all of this transpire through her tears; her clan that she had ruled safely for so long had been taken under control without a single ounce of resistance from the Omacticaya.

The next morning is when the real torture began. Anything that meant something towards Eywa was burned or used as a throne for high ranking members of 'Angtsik. Many guards walked around with skulls on their faces and whips adorned with bone sculptures meant to terrify people into submission. Neytiri found Daman and Leena bloodied and beaten for defying the warrior that came to take their alcove as his own, therefore making them his slaves if they didn't move out. No one had claimed Neytiri's alcove so she quickly got them over there before anyone would notice them moving about and beat them for whatever reason. Once they reached the alcove Neytiri treated their wounds the best she could then asked them, "What happened to you guys? Are you alright?"

"I just want Saniya back" Leena sobbed before Daman shushed her so no one would hear her cries of sorrow.

"They beat us when she tried to get her toy ikran" Daman said calmly, though her tear-stained cheeks told a story of grief, worry, and hopelessness. Neytiri shook her head at the 'Angtsik warrior's boldness then looked over to Jake who was too angry at what had happened to his clan which meant more to him than almost anything else to speak and Neytiri said, "Hopefully their stay isn't long"

Daman nodded to show agreement but deep down, something told her they would rather die than lose this kind of power.

…

"Saniya, wake up" Malay's voice said sweetly, "I got something for you"

I slowly opened my eyes to see Malay squatting in front of the hammock I was sleeping in, smiling and playing with my hair as I sat up and yawned then asked, "What is it?"

"You gotta come look" he said with a wink. I finally dragged myself out of the hammock and followed him to find my bow and its arrows in his hands.

"Where did you find them?" I asked as I ran my hand over the smooth wood; it felt like home.

"Since we were already occupying you Omacticaya, I thought I would go get them for you" he said.

"Occupying?" I asked.

"We seized the tree last night" he replied. At that moment I wanted to kill him but I would wait for the perfect time to kill him and Acira; boy did I hate her. I disliked any woman that had any hankering for Ralu but she really did cross the line; seducing him into laying down with her and not even caring that I heard while Malay beat me almost every day but treated me like a queen at other times. I mustered a convincing smile then said, "Sucks for them"

Malay kissed me on my forehead before whispering in my ear, "Ralu is going to have a fight today. You might want to go"

I nodded then walked into the small room which housed formerly both me, Acira, and Ralu but now it only had to accommodate me and Acira. I checked and counted my arrows to make sure none had been lost or damaged on their way over here while Acira was laying in her hammock staring at me.

"You really like your bow, don't you?" she asked.

"It took me almost a month to make this thing and it wasn't easy work" I replied, keeping her horrific face out of my line of sight. She made some giggle or laugh that sounded like she was vomiting and said, "What would you do if I broke it"

"I would beat you until you were unrecognizable" I answered coldly, though she seemed to take my threat as playful and did the vomiting laugh sounds again. I used my knife to sharpen my arrows and got in a comfortable position since it was a task that took a good while until Acira said, "Ralu is a good man; be glad you two are mated"

She must've caught the death glare I was giving her since she got up right after saying that and didn't come back until it was late in the evening. Malay had gone to Ralu's fight since I wasn't allowed and my face was too well known to try to sneak out but Ralu got through with barely a scratch to his body. Malay was exhausted when he returned but I was going to make sure he would be awake later when I kill him and his mate. As he has the past two days, he called me into his room to sleep with him in his hammock, but this time I came in with more excitement than I usually gave and got real cozy beside him.

"Well somebody's ready to go to sleep" he said with a smile. I gave him a shy giggle then played with his braids and replied, "Ready for you"

His ears perked up at the suggestive reply as his hands wrapped around my waist before he said, "What are you waiting for?"

Malay pulled me into a kiss and I reached down to put a hand on my knife while he was totally focused on me as I whispered, "Close your eyes"

He chuckled heartily as he closed his eyes and I drew my knife but something heavy and solid hit me in the back of my head, making me go limp and hit the floor.

"I knew you were going to kill him!" Acira snarled as she stepped on my wrist when I tried reaching for my knife. She put her knife to my throat before Malay said sharply, "Get of off her!"

Acira cowered away into a corner before she hissed, "Saniya was trying to kill you"

Malay looked at me and asked, "Is this true?"

"No. I forgot my knife was still on me and I was going to put it away" I answered. He turned sharply on Acira and smacked her, sending her back into the room. I grabbed my knife and stayed behind Malay until I swung my arm over his shoulder and stuck my knife in his chest. I quietly laid him down on the ground before following Acira into her room and killing her there. I ran down to where Ralu was being held (Acira had told me how to get there) and found Ralu sitting in his cell.

"Saniya what are you doing here?" Ralu asked in a hushed voice.

"I'm gonna get you out" I answered and tried sawing at the wood but it was way too thick to cut with my knife. Whoops and whistles rose out of the crowd of men I was surrounded by since I was probably one of the few women they've seen since they got here.

"Saniya watch out!" Ralu cried and backed away from the cell door when some huge guard was coming at me with an extremely large axe. I dodged it and it hit the cell door, cracking it wide open. He growled some demon like growl that sent chills down my spine as he came after me again but I was pinned to a corner. The axe came down on my thigh, putting a deep cut in it while I tried limping away but tripped and fell. Three men surrounded me and pulled me into the cell while two of them went back out with Ralu to kill the guard.

"My name is Cyril. I need you to stay with me, okay?" he said as he ripped a blanket in half and used it to cut off circulation to my leg. I nodded and waited for Ralu and the others to return with the rest of the prisoners freed then Ralu said, "How deep is the wound, Cyril?"

"It's pretty deep but not enough to kill her at least" Cyril answered as he and another serve as my crutches while everyone started making their way back to the forest that we all missed. We ran for hours, I eventually could go no farther and Ralu gave Cyril the job of carrying me since I was the only one other than Ralu that I would allow to do so.

I woke up in cold sweat and the last shudders from my dreams were leaving my body. Cyril was tending to my thigh and the two other men that seemed to follow Cyril were nearby with Ralu right by my side where he always was and will be.

"You had a bad dream Saniya. You're alright" Ralu soothed softly.

"Ralu really does have a soft side, does he?" one of the two men said before they burst into laughter but a mean hiss from Cyril quieted them then Ralu said, "My new friends. Like them?"

I sat up and eyed them both; one was similar to Ralu in his physique but his smile was infectious. The other was shorter and seemed like he'd been through some crap but just as strong looking as his fellows and Cyril was just like the healer he seemed to be; not the strongest but not weak, a sweet and gentle smile always greeted you no matter what.

"I do" I replied. Ralu smiled and kissed my forehead, an 'Aww' coming from the two guys.

"What are your names?" I asked them.

"I'm Palash and this is Taj" the shorter one said then pointed to Taj.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm-"

"We already know you're Ralu's mate" Taj interrupted with a smile then looked at Ralu who shrugged and said, "Sorry I can't help but brag about you"

We all erupted in laughter and I finally felt like I actually didn't have something hanging over my head.

"Where are the other prisoners?" I asked.

"They went their separate ways. We've decided to go to your clan since ours is so far away" Cyril answered.

"So, Ralu, what's the plan to get us back home?" Palash asked.

"Just get there once Saniya is ready to go and see what happens" Ralu replied.

"I'm ready to go" I blurted. "And I don't think just strolling into an occupied area is a great idea"

"Then what's your genius idea" Ralu said.

"Just scope the place out for a day or two and find out when are good times to sneak in and not be spotted" I answered.

"Now that's more what I was thinking" Taj said.

"Fine. You proved you're smarter than me. So we just hide and watch until we see a good opening to get all five of us into Kelutral without alerting anyone?" Ralu asked.

"Exactly" I confirmed.

"Alright then let's get moving" Ralu said as again Cyril and Palash helped me walk and began our trek back home. 

**An: Well, I hoped you liked this one where all the ish goes down. Thanks for everyone reading this and I will have next chapter up soon.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13- Whose food is it anyways?

Filt'naw gazed upon his new land with pride; nobody would question his power over the Omacticaya now that he had them at their knees, weeping and begging for mercy like they had 'Angtsik when they first came to be. Now the task was to set up a hierarchy over the Omacticaya so they would be sold equally and without any incident within the merchants that would buy and sell them while bringing the rest if the 'Angtsik over to stay. The slaves had only a few days to gather their belongings before the travelling group of 'Angtsik residents arrived and took whatever alcove they felt suited them the most. He was still trying to get Key'lan to see he meant no harm to her but he should've known that she wouldn't trust him again after everything she went through.

"My son will grow up a king of a great land and the gods may grant him the courage to conquer more so than I" Filt'naw declared to his father, who just recently found out about Machus and the truth about Key'lan and why Filt'naw kept her around.

"That's only if you have the power to keep this land" Emannuel snapped.

"You think I don't?" Filt'naw asked, the hit to his ego really sparking anger within him.

"You still have much to learn." His father replied then turning his back swiftly then started his was down the staircase until Filt'naw snapped angrily, "Do not turn your back to me, father"

"Olo'eyktan is just a rank to me; not authority" Emannuel shot back then continued his way on to find something that spoke to his interests.

…

"Ralu! Get up!" Cyril's voice said urgently. I drowsily got up and was violently pulled over to Saniya who was having another flashback; accusing Cyril of killing a hunting party.

"Saniya. It's not real. Listen to me, Saniya, it's not real." I said softly, seeing her angry but crazed look in her eyes locking onto me as a threat. She could barely keep her balance with her healing thigh but she still was able to knock Palash out and give Taj a bloody nose. Now she was after Cyril.

"We did nothing to you! You killed them for no reason!" she snarled. She allowed me to get close enough where our foreheads were almost touching as she said, "Why did you kill them?"

"You aren't with any 'Angtsik" I replied. She pointed to Cyril.

"Who are they" she asked in a warning voice.

"They are our friends. Cyril saved your life" I answered. I reached for her knife and she tackled me and tried putting the knife in my chest but I overpowered her before I ripped the knife away from her. Saniya hissed then I snapped, "Relax"

She crawled away from me when I came closer as Cyril asked, "Why does she think we're here to kill her?"

"She's having a flashback and I can't figure out how to trigger her back to her normal self" I replied. I suddenly lunged at her and pinned her to the ground while she punched me pretty hard but I didn't let go of her until she stopped hitting me and just laid there. I looked over at her and she was whimpering and crying loudly.

"Please don't hurt me" she cried softly.

"I'm Ralu" I said gently and watched her eyes slowly return to normal. She pretty much clung to me since her flashbacks sometimes made her weak as I stared hard at Palash and Taj who tried prying her away from me in an attempt to get revenge.

"You don't touch her!" I snarled as I let Saniya go back to where Cyril would give her medicine to tone down her pain.

"It is only fair we should give her a taste of what she gave us!" Taj snapped.

"She couldn't help it. You two did something that trigger her to go mad and now she's in a lot of pain" I growled angrily until Saniya said, "Ralu, leave them be"

She had her hand holding fast onto my ankle to reaffirm her order towards me and I finally sat down next to her though I would beat both Palash and Taj if they were to try and fight Saniya despite how much I've come to respect them.

"Ralu we should check Kelutral out today and make sure it's okay to get into tonight" Saniya said once Cyril said she was fit to walk on her own even though she had a bad limp.

"Alright then. Everyone, get your weapons ready in case we gotta kill a few people. You hear?" I ordered and only had a long machete which I took from an 'Angtsik that we had to kill and Saniya had her bow with Taj with an axe, Cyril with just his knife, and Palash with a machete similar to mine. Saniya led the way since she knew the woods better than any of us and stopped at a fallen log covered by bushes and trees to allow us to see without being seen. The sight I saw was horrific. Most Omacticaya were huddled in corners and piles of ashes were all over; the few who seemed to be in better spirits had healing wounds on their backs from whips and blunt objects. Saniya's eyes burned with hatred.

"We should kill them" she spat, "Make an example out of the 'Angtsik"

"Nobody would help us and you know that" I replied then pulled Saniya out into the open and ran into Kelutral with Cyril, Palash and Taj not far behind. The smell of death cut its way into my nostrils with an angry vengeance that nearly made Palash pass out. We made our way up the staircase to my Mother's alcove and found her, Father, Daman, and Leena there huddling close. Saniya limp/ran over to her family while I just hugged Mother and Father tightly; I missed them more than I originally thought.

"Oh thank Eywa! You are alright! What happened to you Saniya? Why are you limping?" Neytiri asked in a hushed voice.

"I was struck by an axe while helping Ralu and his friends escape. Cyril has helped me heal and I am getting better" Saniya answered respectfully. Neytiri looked at the three men behind us and asked, "Which one of you goes by the name Cyril?"

Cyril nodded and said, "I am Cyril"

"Thank you, for you keeping my son and daughter safe on their way home from their captors. I will never stop thanking you for such a deed" Mother said. Cyril slowly nodded respectfully before Saniya's mother asked, "What are your names, gentlemen?"

"I am Cyril as you know. This is Palash and that is Taj" Cyril answered.

"It is nice to meet all of you. I hope your stay here is, well, not horrific at least" Mother said. We all had a lighthearted chuckle but it ended abruptly when a guard walked by and eyed me.

"Omacticaya prince" he snarled, "Come here"

I rose slowly and walked over to him; we were even in height and I slightly outweighed him in case this turned into a brawl.

"So, you are supposedly mated to the beautiful Saniya. Every 'Angtsik knows about Saniya and Key'lan; they are the most wanted among us" the guard remarked, winking towards my love, sparking angry hisses from almost everyone over there.

"And want as much as you can stand, since you will never have" I replied. The guard chuckled as if it was a joke then said, "I have the authority over you now, so I can take her and you have no right to put any claim on her"

"You wouldn't dare" I snapped in a low voice, creating an interested look on the guard's face.

"I can still kill both you and her right now; so watch your tone" the guard warned and used the tip of his arrow to flick back Saniya's hair.

"Not if I kill you first" I snarled, every bone in my body screaming just to stick the machete right through the guard's brain.

"It would ultimately end with yours" he remarked, "So I wouldn't advise that"

"I worry that your death will not bring grief to your Olo'eyktan" I replied, though it wasn't much of an insult.

"Speaking of worry, you need not to worry for Saniya and those 'Angtsik who gaze upon her with an affectionate eye, for most women have left their mates in hopes of having you, and I heard you had a close encounter with Acira" the guard said. Mother and Father stared me with a hard look before Mother asked, "Is he saying you mated with her?"

"We were slaves there wasn't anything I could've done about it" I snapped. The guard chuckled and left to do whatever as Mother was just shocked over what had happened between me and Acira.

"You've known about this Saniya?" her mother asked.

"Yes" Saniya answered but she was strangely calm, not burning with jealousy as I thought she would.

"I heard her voice from Malay's room. She made no attempt to hide it" Saniya added, the looks of shock all over our Mother's faces.

"Who is Malay?" Mother asked.

"Acira's mate." I answered.

"You know I killed them" Saniya piped up. "Acira and Malay"

I felt a pang of grief when she said Acira; it wasn't that I loved her, I just felt so bad for the daily abuse she went through every day with Malay that made me have sympathy. Saniya eyed me with betrayal before she snapped, "You had feelings for her"

"That isn't what I feel" I replied calmly but Saniya had already convinced herself.

"Then what do you feel?" she snarled.

"I feel grief since she was beaten by Malay and she told me that she wanted me to protect her and I couldn't do that" I answered. Saniya's angered expression softened then she said, "So you're mad because I killed her"

"I'm mad at myself because if I did do my job that probably would've prevented you from having to let Malay have you" I replied. Saniya became quiet at the mention of being forced with Malay; she cried for hours after and I could do nothing to help her.

"That wasn't your fault" she said softly, "You stopped him once and you can't be there for me every time something happens"

"But if I didn't lose my temper there's a chance I could've saved you a second time" I answered, trying to hold back guilty tears that I've waited to let fall on my cheeks. She saw them coming and hugged me while Mother prayed over us so we could work things out for the better.

…

For many days I thought I would've been better off if I had stayed with Malay and Acira with the 'Angtsik since food was so scarce, but it was selfish to think. Me, Mother, Leena, Ralu, Neytiri, Jake, Cyril, Palash, and Taj all stayed in the same alcove (lucky it happened to be a pretty big alcove) since we were all scared to move since you really didn't know which alcove was occupied and which ones weren't without going into them. And by that point, you would probably end up dead. Leena was as thin as a girl her age could get without her bones showing, I had lost a decent amount of weight and so have Mother and Neytiri, but the men were somehow always fed in some way or another. Ralu spent his hours building the same stone ring that was back at the village; it made my blood freeze and sometimes I felt as if I was going to throw up. I had horrible memories with the 'Angtsik and bringing their customs to the Omacticaya would be a vicious move towards me and everything I knew.

Leena lay curled up in my lap since Mother was given the job of serving the high ranked warriors and leaders that had nominated themselves as gods once we understood we were too outnumbered to fight back until we regrouped ourselves. Jake, Cyril, Palash, and Taj had all went with Ralu while it was just me, Neytiri, and Leena back at the alcove.

"Have they killed anyone yet" I asked Neytiri, who was keeping herself busy with making knives.

"Not that I know of, but I have a feeling that that will change" she answered softly so she wouldn't wake Leena who had a hard enough time sleeping under these conditions. A loud horn sounded; so loud that Leena woke up screaming and it drowned out her screams. Once it ended I got up and found a small area where I could see down to the ground floor. Filt'naw stood before three Omacticaya who were on their knees with a single guard behind each of them.

"Today we have traitors in our presence" Filt'naw said, pointing to them, "They have disrespected our customs and as you know, death is the only punishment"

Leena was over my shoulder when Ralu and all of the men arrive but Mother was still missing but we didn't have time to go and find her. The warriors started hacking at the Omacticaya's bodies, horrific cries of pain and blood were all I saw and heard while I covered Leena's eyes and ears so she wouldn't see anything. I picked her up and took her back to the alcove where Neytiri was just pale and mumbling to herself as she kept Leena safe and I got Ralu to help me find my Mother.

"Oh Eywa please don't let her be among the dead" Ralu said softly as we sprinted down to look at them. She wasn't among the three chopped to death but she was nowhere in sight.

"We need to split up Ralu it will be quicker to find her" I said and started to turn in the opposite direction but Ralu grabbed me firmly and said, "That is way too dangerous to do such a thing. We will look for your mother together"

His eyes were firm but pleading me not to go against his words and to his relief I agreed and decided to go by the warrior thrones to see if she was by there. We found her serving a warrior then quickly shooed us off before anyone noticed us.

"We can't let them just kill us like that" Ralu whispered to me when we reached the alcove.

"We have no choice; we will be killed most likely for stopping their slaughter" I replied. Everyone had grouped closely together in the alcove for dinner that all of us managed to scrape up throughout the day and piled it in a bowl before Neytiri prayed over it and gave out equal food servings but gave Leena more than anyone else since she was so young.

"What has happened to Key'lan since Filt'naw has made his home here?" I asked.

"He is still trying to court her in some way" Neytiri answered.

"That' useless; he's wasting his time on her" Ralu remarked and everyone agreed except for Cyril, who asked, "Who is Key'lan?"

"She's my best friend, why?" I answered. He shrugged and replied, "Just curious"

Ralu and I exchanged looks before I went back to eating; bits of meat and grain, every now and then I'd pull out some fruit, just enough to keep me going.

"Eat my food Saniya" Ralu said, handing his bowl to me.

"No, you have to eat also" I replied and handed it back but he wouldn't accept it.

"They feed me in the mornings and at lunch. I can go without dinner" he retorted. I finally gave in and began eating his portion of food, which had much more meat in it than mine. After dinner, everyone settled down and found a good place to sleep where they couldn't get caught in any nightly mischief that guards always were into. I decided to stay awake longer to make sure Leena and Mother didn't have any trouble sleeping since I constantly had horrific dreams nowadays.

"Can't sleep too?" Ralu asked as he sat beside me.

"Don't sleep much anymore" I replied.

"Well, I've been thinking, and I'm going to help everyone eat a little better" he said.

"How?" I asked.

"There's a food stash nearby and I go by it every day so if I can I'll just take a few things or we could go now and get a bunch when no one's watching" Ralu said.

"The first idea is too risky but the second could work if we're careful" I replied and got up to get Ralu's machete and my knife.

"Don't take weapons in case we get caught" Ralu said, "That will get us executed"

I nodded then out them back before we quietly left the alcove and snuck down to the ground floor where a huge pile of food about twice as tall as Ralu lay in a secluded corner. I ran over there and quickly started grabbing all the food we could before a voice called out sharply, "Hey! Stop!"

"Run!" Ralu said then we both took off but I was caught first when my pursuer tackled me to the ground. Ralu stopped and surrendered and the guards brought us straight to Filt'naw and he wasn't exactly delighted to see us.

"Thieves. The punishment is a public whipping tomorrow, but they will stay with us" he ordered and we were taken somewhere where we were held for the night. Tied to the walls with some hook that kept us from moving around, we spent the night trying to be able to find a healer once our whippings were over.

Morning we were herded over to the center hearth where everyone, including all that stayed with us in our alcove, had been called just to see us.

"My people, we have thieves among us who think they could sneak and steal your food from the stash. I tell you justice should be found now and they will learn not to do it again" Filt'naw said. I was the first to receive my punishment and I was roughly shoved over to three men; two of which held me by my shoulders and the third would be the one to whip me.

"Your number of whippings is one hundred, do you object?" the whipping man asked. I spat at him and gave him my meanest snarl with all the anger I've ever had for his kind. The gritted his teeth then went behind me and didn't waste time when he started whipping me, the sting was much more painful that I first thought. The first 25 were painful but not agonizing but when my skin started to become raw and cut, that's when I felt blood trickle down my back as the pain started to become unbearable and I passed out around 87.

…

Saniya was out for a few hours before she slowly came to after everything had settled down and everyone had quiet crying.

"Don't move" I said softly, "The wound needs to set"

She grimaced as she stopped moving and reached for my hand as she asked, "What happened?"

"You got more whippings than you originally had" I answered. Maxpatel was preparing some freezing cold medicine he was about to put on her back when she said, "It burns so bad"

Max put the cold medicine on her back and her entire body relaxed in relief.

"That feels better" she sighed with pleasure as Max chuckled to himself and put more of the medicine on Saniya's back.

"This stuff will eventually put her back to sleep, so talk now cause it will put her out for the rest of the day" Max said as he cleaned his hands and left the room.

"Speak with Neytiri and tell her I want to overthrow the 'Angtsik" Saniya said drowsily.

"Alright but I don't think many will go with you after seeing you get beat so viciously" I replied.

"I just don't want to…see Ramani over there" Saniya slurred before a small snore came from her. I put a blanket over her and left to report to Mother about Saniya's wishes with small doubt in my heart that she would survive to see the day of freedom.

**An: pretty intense. Well I think I got a chance to touch base with everyone for the most part, Filt'naw getting a testy with his father, Key'lan still not falling for his love spell either. Cyril have a little romance with Key'lan? I'll get into that next chapter and we'll probably see Saniya start to form some game plan to kick the 'Angtsik out for good.**

**Thanks to the following people for reviewing:**

**Curly Attack**

**Bigoldfrog**

**Aquarian Cowboy**

**Thanks guys/girls for reviewing it helps me stay on track and fix things I've been messing up.**

**GUYS IM REALLY SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IVE BEEN GROUNDED SO I WILL HAVE THE FINAL CHAPTER UP MAY 25.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14- A Battle Lost, A Promise Made

(3rd POV)

Exhaustion was a common disease throughout Kelutral; most people forced to work were only good for a few weeks of continuous work before they just collapsed and either had to be taken to a healer and have some days of rest or the more common result was death. Out of fear, Cyril kept working, regardless of the many cuts on his hands and the blisters on his feet which pulsed in pain with every step he took but he knew most would care little about his woes.

The crack of a whip brought him back to reality as the guards quickly scolded him and hastened his steps towards building the new stone ring which would probably bring more murderous stories to his mind as he lifted a heavy stone rock that had been expertly cut to fit in a certain area within the shape of the ring. He set down the rock in the correct spot with a thud and turned to go back but a hand stopped him and said softly, "Your hands"

He turned to see Key'lan staring down at his hands; he was not exactly caring about his hands but it didn't really strike him how beautiful she was until now and he had to stop himself from staring before he got in trouble and he stuttered, "I must go before I get into trouble"

"You have time to let me help you, right?" she asked. He was hesitant to answer, and in that moment Filt'naw struck Cyril from behind and put himself in between him and Key'lan. Cyril got back on his feet slowly and didn't attempt to fight back, which is what Filt'naw would've wanted and for fighting Cyril would have been put to death.

"You better watch yourself and stay away from her" Filt'naw warned with a snarl. Cyril said nothing and went back to work, though he wanted so badly to challenge Filt'naw to a duel. Key'lan quickly found Cyril afterwards, this time not letting him speak and taking him to a healer's alcove then wrapping his hands.

"You are his mate, am I right?" Cyril asked as Key'lan calmly picked the dirt and splinters out of his hands before rubbing medicines onto it.

"No, he claims me but I have no interest in him" she answered quietly.

"But you two have a son, Machus" he replied. Key'lan looked up from her work on his hands but said nothing and Cyril decided just to let the subject go and ask Saniya later.

"Why must you stay up there with him? You do not want to be with him but yet you act as if you want to" Cyril asked.

"I'm forced to. He threatens to kill Machus if I don't" she answered.

"I know a place you could stay for the night; I don't want you and Machus to suffer" he said.

"You will suffer the consequences" she warned.

"Filt'naw's wrath will only bring about my bodily death, he will eventually be punished for turning his back on Eywa" he replied wisely.

"You are willing to risk your life for me and my son" Key'lan said.

"Since meeting your heirs, I'd risk my life for any Omacticaya" he stated with a slight smile.

…(Saniya's POV)

"Saniya can we go rock climbing like we used to" Leena asked, playing with her dull knife I made for her what seemed like years ago.

"No we can't" I answered. She frowned then sat down in defeat and found something on the ground to mess with before she said, "Ever since Father died we haven't done anything together"

I slowly shifted since my wounds hadn't completely healed and answered, "Stuff that we've been through takes time to heal, like a cut"

"How is it like a cut?" she asked.

"When you cut yourself, at first it hurts pretty bad and it may bleed, right?" I stated. Leena nodded.

"And after a while it stops bleeding but for a long time it hurts. Then it may scab and you can deal with it even though every now and then it hurts. After that it turns into a scar and you just remember it" I explained. She nodded and was quiet for a while and kept playing with her knife then asked, "Will you be there when I become mated?"

"Of course! I want to be the first to congratulate you" I answered with a smile. She giggled then went back to knife fighting with her imaginary friends while I started to drift into a lovely doze.

It was approaching evening when I woke and Ralu and all of the men had returned, Cyril seeming in better spirits than usual and his hands were wrapped. Once again, Neytiri gathered everyone's bits of food and doled it out in equal bits; making sure everyone got a fair amount of meat since there were some complaints about it.

"Cyril what's got you so happy?" Ralu eventually asked, a question that had been brewing in everyone's minds since the work day was over.

"I just gotta go meet someone, she's staying here for the night" Cyril said quickly before scarfing his meal down and leaving.

"I wonder who he's gonna bring back" Palash said, his usual humor-loving self extremely suppressed due to his tendency at first to get in a lot of trouble with his smart mouth. An overall general agreement resulted as we kept eating and waiting.

…(3rd POV)

Cyril quietly but quickly raced down to the meeting place where Key'lan waited, crouched down, out of sight where only Cyril would know where to look. She rose and cradled baby Machus in her arms as Cyril greeted her respectfully but she refused the respect, saying she was not any sort of royalty and she only wished to be treated like the huntress she was.

"How has Saniya been?" Key'lan asked.

"Not very well, you didn't know she had a public whipping?" Cyril said.

"Filt'naw doesn't like to inform me on much" she replied, worry for how Saniya was after a public whipping; any whipping from Filt'naw was bound to be brutal if not deadly. Cyril led her up to Neytiri's alcove, taking extreme care in hiding their tracks so Filt'naw wouldn't have an immediate idea where Key'lan was. Most of the group was fast asleep when Cyril and Key'lan arrived, only Saniya and Ralu were awake but they were off talking in private.

"Here, take a seat" Cyril invited and moved aside his belongings to allow Key'lan to have room. She sat down and made herself comfortable before she said, "Thank you, Cyril, for doing so much my people"

"Do not thank me" Cyril replied quietly. Ralu returned with Saniya limping behind him and a grimace on her face with every step she took. Both of their faces lit up with excitement and relief, making Saniya hug her tightly after they had been separated for so long.

"I have been so worried about you, Saniya" Key'lan said as they pulled back from a tight hug.

"I have been more worried of you and Machus" Saniya cooed. Key'lan noticed the large bandage that wrapped around Saniya's torso, covering her wounds from her whipping. Also she noticed the bad limp in her walk, signaled by the healing axe wound on her thigh.

"You are hurt" Key'lan said sadly.

"Nothing I can't deal with; I've been hurt worse." She chuckled. Cyril was standing behind Key'lan, holding baby Machus in his arms with care, sparking a look of interest from Saniya towards Key'lan; she quickly dismissed the thoughts that were obvious in Saniya's mind. Ralu gently grabbed Saniya's hand and she said goodbye and they walked off towards a secluded area where Key'lan supposed Ralu had something important to talk about with her that he didn't feel that she should hear.

"Machus looks a lot like you" Cyril piped up after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"Thank you" Key'lan said quietly as Cyril carefully put her son back in her arms. Key'lan quickly drifted to sleep and Cyril soon after. Not long after, angry snarls from Saniya and Ralu woke Neytiri.

"What is the problem?" she asked, but Saniya took the chance to leave the area and left Ralu by himself with his mother.

"Me and Saniya are just disagreeing" Ralu answered with a sigh.

"You aren't telling the truth" Neytiri replied. Ralu shifted uncomfortably; the subject in which he and Saniya discussed wasn't something he thought would be talked over with his mother, yet.

"We were just talking about us" he said.

"You clearly made her angry by the way she left you to deal with me" she retorted.

"She doesn't want children" Ralu confessed.

"You have very bad timing, you know" Saniya interrupted.

"You know I wasn't talking about now, Saniya" Ralu said.

"I know, but to bring it up now is not a good time" she replied. It was very clear that they were both very irritated with each other as Ralu snapped, "I want what every man wants in life and I can't exactly control what impulses I feel during the day. I can't feel like I want a child when I want to. I just thought since we had so much time to ourselves now that we could at least talk about it"

"Do I look like I want to talk about having children when my people are dying because of my stupid decisions!" Saniya snarled. Ralu went silent, he knew that regret had been brewing in her heart since her father died and it was reaching the breaking point.

"It's as simple as that. If I hadn't brought Ateyo here then my father would still be here and none of this would've happened." She said softly.

"There was no way you could've known that finding Ateyo would bring this. It isn't your fault" Ralu soothed and hugged Saniya to stop her tears until a guard shoved Ralu to the ground. The guard started to go after Saniya and she backed away until her back bumped into another guard.

"Look at the Omacticaya princess" the guard sneered, "Why is she crying?"

Ralu tackled the first guard and Jake came to Saniya's rescue before being completely knocked out by the second guard he went after. Ralu and the guard kept fighting for a moment before the guard emerged with a knife at Ralu's throat, forcing Ralu to give up and back away.

"What do you want with her" Ralu demanded.

"Filt'naw would like to see her" the guard said with a nasty trill in his voice. The guards pushed Saniya forward, and she obeyed without a word nor a despising look at any of them. Ralu ran to get his machete then came after the two guards and hacked at them mercilessly with his weapon.

"Ralu! What have you done!" Neytiri gasped.

"I swore to Eywa I would never let them take Saniya from me again!" Ralu snapped; the anger still fresh in his mind. Saniya had already busied herself by hiding the bodies and dumping water all over herself and Ralu to wash away the blood then cleaned his machete before wiping up all the blood and water on the floor.

"Ralu we need to move to another alcove. Tonight" Saniya said flatly then quickly going and gathering her things. Ralu followed her and got his things together before he asked, "Where will we go?"

"I don't know, but it can't be anywhere near here" she answered.

"Why?" Ralu asked.

"Filt'naw will assume one of us killed them. No one within our alcove is in his bad books like we are unless- Neytiri, wake Cyril and Key'lan" Saniya said quickly.

"What is it?" Cyril yawned.

"Get up. We need to go" Saniya said and had them both up and packed within five minutes. They group quickly evacuated the main area and went all the way up to where Saniya and Key'lan's old alcoves were and found Saniya's was empty. They all had enough room to stay hidden from by passers since it was a family alcove and it would help them to stay away from getting caught in anything. After the excitement everyone finally settled down to sleep, using a little space as possible. Key'lan, Cyril, and Machus slept in one hammock, while Saniya and Ralu slept in the other directly across from them.

"I'm going to kill Filt'naw, when I get the chance" Saniya whispered.

"We need to get help from someone, we can't do it by ourselves" Ralu replied.

"It's me, you, Cyril, and Key'lan. We are probably the most hated Omacticaya in history" she said.

"Go to sleep. We'll worry about it tomorrow" Ralu soothed and wrapped his arms around Saniya tightly, hoping her nightmares wouldn't give away their position.

…(Ralu's POV)

I'm sure Filt'naw was furious when he woke to find two of his guards dead and Key'lan missing. I found he ordered his guards to gather up Neytiri, Saniya's Mother, and Leena and execute them publicly. Word passed quickly and it reached me a few hours before the execution was to be done.

"Saniya, get your ass up right now" I snapped and smacked her in the back of the head. She gave me a pretty mean snarl but I didn't care at the moment as she asked tersely, "What?"

"They are going to execute our families" I answered, picking up my machete and bow. Saniya was on her feet in an instant; sometimes, I'd swear she'd rather see me die than her family, but I couldn't blame her. I know I would do the same. We carefully went a long and elaborate way around Kelutral for about twenty minutes before we finally came upon Filt'naw's residence. I peered inside and saw him dozing with two guards sitting down with their backs turned to Filt'naw and us. Saniya, being the smaller of us two, slowly crawled in on her stomach without a sound with me following seconds later. She stood over Filt'naw while I stood behind the guards as she silently counted, "One…Two…Three"

I decapitated both guards and Filt'naw was dead before he could wake up. I dragged his body and guards automatically surrounded us, but what for? Their leader was dead, but their parents' still were alive and well. A cry of grief rose from my left side and I turned to see his mother, her name I think was Mil'an and his father, Emmanuel, was next to her staring at his dead son with disbelief. Most Omacticaya who had been within the vicinity of my voice heard me say, "With Filt'naw's death, I declare Omacticaya free of their bondage to 'Angtsik!"

Saniya had already slaughtered two warriors as I threw my machete at Emannuel and made my mark, quickly putting an arrow through his mate's throat then took out several additional warriors before other Omacticaya joined in and drove them away by throwing stones and beating them with sticks, sometimes even taking their weapons and killing others.

"We did it, Ralu. We put them out for good" Saniya said. I hugged her and spun her around until I was dizzy in pure joy, as if a large weight was lifted off of my shoulders. We got Mother and Saniya's family out and they were all crying in joy, even Father was happy (he had been pretty quiet since the invasion) and everyone would have food. That night we celebrated around the center hearth and drank alcohol and danced all night. The celebrations continued for about two days until the rebuilding work begun. The first half of the work was giving all Omacticaya killed during the tyranny a proper burial. Then we disposed of the 'Angtsik bodies far from our borders where no one would find them. Soon, our only job was to try to get back to our normal lives, but that proved difficult for Saniya. She would wake in the middle of the night for no apparent reason and insist that she had to check that no 'Angtsik were hiding within Kelutral. Most of the time, I forced her to stay but when she raised enough racket I let her go for the sake of Leena's sleep.

I had nightmares about Acira and losing Saniya still, but they had slacked off a great bit, and so did Saniya's flashbacks. It seemed that we were slowly getting back to normal but seeing the maze of scars on Saniya's back was always a daily reminder. I finally noticed Sana and Tee'tan were no longer here, I didn't blame them for leaving; I'm sure they saw it coming. But Ateyo, well, he's been silent but had this angry vibe that everyone got from him and I sensed he was a ticking time bomb, something had him angry and he wasn't about to forgive whoever sparked his rage.

It was at dinner when I decided to ask him what was wrong. Saniya was against it but I went anyways, keeping my machete in its sheath I made just in case. He noticed me almost as soon as I got up and faced his direction. Most Omacticaya were quiet since they knew what I was doing as I stopped a few feet away from Ateyo and asked, "Ateyo, you seem a little troubled lately"

"Troubled" he snarled, "I just watched my entire clan die in front my eyes, the two women I love taken away from me, still a murderer that hasn't cleared his name. Yes, I am troubled"

"Ralu leave him alone, please" Saniya urged from her seat.

"We can help you" I said more gently.

"Why would I want your help? You took Saniya from me. I loved her way before you did and you just swept her off her feet, didn't you? With your high rank and good looks, didn't you?" Ateyo growled angrily, rising from his seat and shoving me back.

"I don't want to fight" I replied.

"I challenge you to a duel" Ateyo snapped, "The reward is Saniya"

"No. I won't fight you" I said again.

"It is a challenge it must be accepted" someone called out.

"Dueling for women is not a challenge! It is greed and jealously!" I hollered back at the crowd.

"Do it Ralu" Ateyo growled from behind, "You know you want to kill me. I'm the reason this all happened. The reason Saniya was kidnapped by Tee'tan. Yeah, I set that up. I did everything"

I turned on him and snarled angrily, "You are a sick man, Ateyo"

"If you do not accept my challenge I will let Saniya decide" Ateyo said.

"Fine" I grunted and moved a good bit away from the crowd so we wouldn't end up fighting amongst them or Saniya. Ateyo drew his knife and was the first to throw a strike but it didn't land. He came after me with his knife in the air but I kicked him square in the chest, knocking him off his feet. I quickly pinned him and just went to pounding in his face in until Saniya was grabbing and pulling me off of him. I let Saniya pull me away as Ateyo got up and was ready for more but I snapped, "You are no longer allowed to show your face to the Omacticaya ever again"

"You will see me again, Ralu. Trust me with that" Ateyo chuckled before running off into the woods. Something about his last words made me fear for everyone since his past he has lost almost everything in his life for this war and now he's lost even that. Saniya gave me a very daunting look after we seemed to exchange thoughts before we left the clan to finish their eating while we walked among the alcoves which none were empty and everyone had a place to sleep and call their own.

"We're going to have another war" Saniya finally said.

"It's almost a guarantee when it's Ateyo we are talking about" I replied.

"When do you think he will come back?" she asked.

"I don't know, I know it's not about taking over the Omacticaya anymore for him. It's personal. I'd give him about five years, maybe six or seven before he'll start to gather his numbers. We won't beat him alone this time either" I answered.

"What about our children?" she asked.

"Now you want to talk about children?"

"You think we aren't going to have children in seven years?"

"Knowing Ateyo is coming back, children will burden us"

"True but I don't think anyone could wait that long and a 'war' that is an assumption based off of Ateyo's words"

"You're right but we have made mistakes before"

"Like what?"

"Trusting Sana"

"Well, she did help us sort of though she did help Tee'tan escape which could've caused everything"

"Fine. You are giving me a headache. Let's go to sleep"

She was more than happy to be first in the hammock before I walked inside, her childish giggles never failing to earn a slight chuckle from me. I lay beside her and kissed her softly before saying, "I haven't kissed you in a while"

Saniya smiled then said, "You aren't a very romantic person"

"I am when I try" I retorted but it was useless after she started laughing. I sighed and grumbled an order to go to bed and she didn't refuse; in fact, it was the first night she slept without a nightmare.

…

Ateyo stalked through trees following the one man he should've killed before all of this happened. He tricked him into letting his reputation be ruined, had his family turn on him, and lost Sana. He watched Tee'tan relax in the woods with Sana; they had no worries of the Omacticaya. Sana could go back anytime, something essential if Ateyo wanted to kill Ralu and Saniya.

"Tee'tan. Again, why do you wish to ruin me" he snarled. Tee'tan leaped to his feet with his knife drawn and kept his distance from Ateyo as he answered, "You know I never cared about your family enough to attend Ahana's funeral"

Ateyo hissed darkly before Sana snapped, "Ateyo why do you wish to fight him?"

"Sana we cannot trust Tee'tan with anything! He told his lies to our clan and they have walked into a death trap! Once he is dead we could go back and kill the Omacticaya and regain what we lost in this war" Ateyo answered.

"Omacticaya are our friends" Sana said softly, "They would accept us"

"Saniya threatened you. You told me. She threatened you about loving Tee'tan and she will not allow any of us to be alive as long as you stay with them" he reasoned.

"I cannot decide" Sana said after a few moments of thinking. Tee'tan snarled at Ateyo and pushed Sana out of the way before Ateyo shoved Tee'tan to the ground and they fought until Tee'tan lie dead, in a pool of his own blood.

"We will win this time, Sana" Ateyo soothed, "I know the right people"

**An: Thanks everyone for reading this book I am thinking about writing a sequel and if I write one I will have it up soon. Sorry for the long update I've been grounded for a month. Thank to everyone who reviewed I am very thankful to have as many reviews as I do.**


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